


Blooming Heart

by sunshine_kitcat (moonkevin)



Category: The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Fluff and Angst, Heavy Angst, M/M, Minor Character Death, Multi, Self-Discovery, Temporary Character Death, emphasis on the inspired, look its just bnha-inspired tbz au, uhhhh hot boys with swords
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:55:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 108,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26361517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonkevin/pseuds/sunshine_kitcat
Summary: If Younghoon had to describe his life right now, it could be summarized in three terms: Rich Assholes, Found Family and the absolute Worst Mentor for this magic business.
Relationships: Bae Joonyoung | Jacob/Moon Hyungseo | Kevin, Choi Chanhee | New/Ji Changmin | Q/Kim Younghoon, Heo Hyunjoon | Hwall/Ju Haknyeon, Kim Sunwoo/Son Youngjae | Eric, Lee Jaehyun | Hyunjae/Lee Juyeon
Comments: 196
Kudos: 152





	1. Strawberry Milk & Murder Shadows

**Author's Note:**

> While not necessary, I do reccomend checking out the worldbuilding companion guide here before reading! It also serves as a great reminder for those who need it! [ Link ](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KF4HJuwiYlXaNxGmasanGmYqsUgKXA-QVURZ4IskOd8/edit?usp=sharing)
> 
> As more of the story is revealed, the companion guide will be updated with more info on the world! Be sure to check it out, as the story will not cover everything!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Act 1: Prologue

To be completely fair, Younghoon only wanted some strawberry milk, not a world full of magical spirits, warlocks, political unrest and a whole lot of emotional baggage.

But he’s getting ahead of himself.

The thing is, Kim Younghoon, the eldest child of two in a normal, boring middle-class family, had no idea what was going to hit him the moment he stepped through the door frame of a small mart next to his school, allowance in hand as a thirst insatiable by anything but strawberry milk lingers in his throat. He had no idea when he waved hello to the nice auntie who always gave him a discount if he promised to shoot her a heart arrow and wink at her, and no idea yet when he ducks behind the rows of cup noodles and peperos to open the small freezer.

The first inkling he receives is when he turns around to find a two-meter tall Panda with strange, glowing blue-and-white fur, sleeping in the middle of the aisle as it holds onto a gigantic log. Younghoon flinches, nearly dropping his strawberry milk as he gives the auntie a concerned look.

“Auntie?” Younghoon calls, with fear palpable in his tone. The auntie looks up from her magazine, humming a questioning noise. Younghoon gulps.

“I think you have a bear in your store,” Younghoon says, voice tightening in fear. The auntie just chuckles at him.

“He showed up a few hours ago, Younghoonie. Said he was waiting for you,” the auntie calls back, laughing as she popped a cherry into her mouth. She’s relaxed. Too relaxed, which is a concern because Yoonghoon knows this auntie and he knows she is never relaxed, always wound up about something. Younghoon gives her a fearful glance.

“M-me?” Younghoon stammers, glancing back and forth between the auntie and the panda, who seems to slowly be stirring awake, “why me?”

The auntie chuckles. “Can’t you recognize a spirit guide when you see one? You’re going to the big city, boy!” The auntie exclaims, excitement dancing in her tone as she grins at Younghoon. Yoonghoon’s eyes widen, slowly stumbling backwards as he holds onto the glass case.

“Wh-what?” Younghoon stammers, shaking as he watches the panda slowly sit up, rubbing at its eyes before turning around. In that singular moment, Younghoon’s entire life flashed through his eyes, every moment from the first ray of light he’s ever seen to his little sister’s last birthday to even the box of strawberry milk he’s clutching on as a pseudo-weapon right now. Younghoon gulps.

“Oh don’t be so nervous,” the auntie calls from the counter again, making Younghoon swivel his head towards her. There’s a foreign smile on her face, Cheshire-like as she holds up her little phone and winks at Younghoon.

“I already told your mother,” she adds, opening her phone for something, “she’s rather excited. I mean, it’s not every day you meet a spirit guide, let alone find out your son will become a human anchor!”

Younghoon’s head swims. Of course, he knows the legends and stories of spirits and warlocks, tales of great heroes who have saved the nation countless times from all the villains and shadow forces around them. South Korea is one of the only countries in the world who have pushed back the invasion forces of the Shadow Realm’s spirits so well, and almost all of it is thanks to the great warlock heroes and the spirits from the Spirit World summoned to help them. They band together in small teams to fight and keep the country safe, formed in the vast halls and grand archways of the nation’s top hero-training academies. Spirit guides are the leaders of these teams, but as their magic volumes are much stronger than that of a normal spirit, they require a human ‘anchor’ without the actuve magical circuits warlocks carry to transform into their human form.

But still, those are just stories. Human anchors are chosen almost at birth, stolen away from their parents to be groomed and trained to keep up with even the strongest of warlocks on the battlefield despite the obvious magical imbalance. Younghoon is seventeen and very much not a baby. So why him? And why now?

“It’s good to finally meet you,” the panda interrupts Younghoon’s train of thought, although the panda’s no longer a panda anymore. He’s a man, looking a few years older than Younghoon despite Spirit guides being ancient souls thousands of years old, with soft brown hair and possibly one of the warmest smiles Younghoon has ever seen. The log he was holding earlier is replaced by a rapier that hangs at his waist, fastened down by a golden buckle on dark brown leather. He’s holding out his hands in a handshake, eyes curved up into half-moons as an aura of magic rolls off of him in tsunami-like waves.

“Wh-who are you? A-and why me? A-and why are you here n-now?” Yoonghoon stammers, shrinking away as the panic in his brain increases by tenfold. He has a  _ sword _ ! Younghoon doesn’t stand a chance with his measly carton of strawberry milk. The spirit chuckles, his aura dimming ever so slightly as he pats Younghoon’s shoulder lightly.

“For one thing, my name is Sangyeon,” the spirit answers, still warmly smiling. The knot in Younghoon’s stomach unravels just a little from the reassuring presence. Spirit emotional magic works wonders on the human body, especially those with inactive magic circuits. Younghoon doesn’t know if that’s a good thing or not.

“O-okay, why me? Why now?” Younghoon stutters, less shaky now as he tries to drown himself in the spirit’s calming magic. Feeling returns to his fingertips, giving away the cold sting of the freezer door behind him as Younghoon flinches. The spirit—Sangyeon—sighs, stepping back as he scratches the back of his head.

“Yeah… about that. I think I took too long of a nap since they told me to start looking for an anchor, sorry. I only meant to sleep for a few years,” Sangyeon mumbles, cheeks dusting red in embarrassment before turning back to give Younghoon an assuring smile.

“But I’m here now! And you’ve only got four years left before they start throwing you into the selection pool, so let’s go!” Sangyeon proposes, trying to gesture towards the door. Younghoon frowns, furrowing his eyebrows together as his hands raise defensively.

“Wait,” Younghoon interrupts him, slowly trying to inch away from Sangyeon, “how do I know you’re not whisking me away for some death camp. Plus, why do I have to go with you? I like my family,” Younghoon reasons, trying to sound calm. Sangyeon hums in thought, stopping for a moment and tapping his chin. Younghoon thinks the mere suspense might kill him.

“Hmm, you’re right,” Sangyeon finally replies, pulling out his rapier from its holster. Younghoon flinches for real this time, holding up his pathetic cartoon of milk as he tries to shrink away. Before he fully gets to the position, the rapier turns into a phone, complete with a gold cover and the words ‘CREKER ACADEMY’ etched on the back. Younghoon stifles a gasp, having it come out as more of a strangled grunt. If Sangyeon heard it, he doesn’t comment

“I’m right?” Younghoon finally mumbles, watching as Sangyeon furiously types something into the phone. He’s about to debate running when a soft breeze tickles the hair on the back of his neck, almost ticklish and cold that makes him jump again. At this rate, Younghoon’s going to get a heart attack.

“This the guy?” A soft, melodic voice calls out from behind Younghoon. He whirls around and comes face to face with two boys, both around his ages and almost human, if not for the very obvious aura of magic around them. And the fact that they’re sitting on top of the freezer too, of course. One has vivid pink hair, almost akin to a rose as his delicate facial features morph into a soft frown. He’s fiddling with a small thread in his hands, which seems to be connected to the white-and-blue jacket hanging off of his shoulder.

“C’mon, Hee, trust Sangyeon a little, won’t you? He might be our future teammates,” his companion points out, a dimpled smile and bright orange hair sparkling under the soft afternoon sunlight. He’s pretty, a small voice in the back of Younghoon’s head whispers. They’re both pretty, Younghoon mentally argues back.

“Younghoon, meet Chanhee and Changmin,” Sangyeon announces, aura sparkling and increasing in brightness again as Chanhee eyes him like a new porcelain vase.

“They’ll be keeping an eye on you while I bring up this small problem with the school board,” Sangyeon explains, turning to leave. Younghoon’s eyes widen, his body moving before his mind could and grabbing Sangyeon’s arm before he leaves.

“Wait, why do I need bodyguards?” Younghoon asks, confused and panicked, “is something bad going to happen to me?” Younghoon cries, near-hyperventilation. A pulse of magic settles over him again like last time as Sangyeon turns to him with a sympathetic smile.

“All shadow creatures in the area know you’re an anchor now, Younghoon,” Sangyeon says sympathetically, “I’d be surprised an attack doesn’t happen within the next 24 hours.”

True to Sangyeon’s words, Younghoon does, in fact, get attacked. Numerous times, in fact, on his way to school, to the little mart, back home, even when he’s literally taking out the trash. His parents are every bit concerned, seemingly keeping a distance from him and refusing to stay and talk to him for too long. Even Dabin, his precious little sister who clings onto him so much, is steered away by his mother even when she just wants Younghoon to help her with her homework. The shadows haven’t broken into his house yet, but if the conversation Younghoon overheard from his parents means anything, they won’t risk exposing themselves more than necessary to the Shadow Realm. It’s simply too dangerous.

The sole bright spot is Chanhee and Changmin, although Younghoon’s not too sure how bright the spot is. To be fair, they’re the only reason he’s alive still, hovering over him in spirit form as an owl (Changmin) and a penguin (Chanhee), fending off waves after waves of shadow creatures. At some point Younghoon gives up on any semblance of a normal life, just sticking to the straight route to and from school. He learns a lot about Changmin and Chanhee in those couple of days, from Chanhee’s grudge against raw tomatoes to Changmin’s obsession with human horror movies. Younghoon shares his stories and fun facts in return, but spirits ultimately live much more interesting lives. There’s a small part of Younghoon that’s grateful for the new pair of comfortable friends as the token antisocial kid in any crowd, but he can’t help but feel so utterly lonely with just them. He supposes it’s why other anchors are so eager to go to these big academies. At least they fit in.

“Then why don’t you come too?” Chanhee asks whenever Younghoon brings up the thought. There’s a quirked eyebrow and a slight frown on his face as if he’s trying to reason with a child. Younghoon shrugs.

“It’s just… kind of uncomfortable, I guess,” Younghoon muses. He’s walking down the streets, Changmin asleep on his shoulder as the sun casts an orange tint over everything in sight. His school bag swings and hits his leg rhythmically with each step, a soft thud running in the air as Younghoon carefully plucks out his words.

“Like I’m practically being forced into becoming an Anchor with all the pressure and avoidance, you get me?” Younghoon decides on saying, kicking away a stray pebble as he digs his palms deeper into his blazer pockets. Chanhee gives him a sympathetic smile.

“Sometimes life's a bitch, isn’t it?” Chanhee chuckles, speeding up his pace ever so slightly to pull ahead of Younghoon. He turns back the last moment, hand outstretched as they both slow to a stop.

“But things happen for a reason, don’t you think? What’s the use of fighting fate?” Chanhee points out, a smile on his delicate features. An offer, Younghoon realizes, the same one he turned down a few weeks ago. A scowl fights its way onto Younghoon’s face, who ignores the hand and presses forwards and past Chanhee.

“I’m happy with my life, thank you very much,” Younghoon grumbles, and that's how the conversations end. They repeat far too many times in the coming days, sometimes with Changmin instead and sometimes in much less private places, but the outcome remains the same. At some point, it becomes a game of chicken of sorts, between Younghoon’s core philosophy of forging his own path versus the situation he’s been forced into.

Younghoon refuses to give in that easily

The shadow creatures are relentless with their attacks, so to say Younghoon has gotten good at running would be an understatement. Changmin and Chanhee are more than just competent fighters, however, often making quick work of the pesky shadows before Younghoon even has to move behind the nearest tree to hide. 

Today is one of those days when Younghoon is ducking behind a random car as he tries to keep his head down. He risks a peek to see Changmin practically soaring through the air, zipping from one shadow creature to the next. He’s on one of their backs now, digging a spear into its back as he swings on it, throwing himself at another creature. There’s a glow of magic around his form and into the air as a black mist of sorts. One of the Shadows tries to strike him, only to move in an entirely wrong direction as Chanhee skewers him on his lance. 

Changmin calls himself an illusionist, a perfect playboy smirk on his face as he messes with the shadow’s minds and creates illusionary holograms of himself in their vision before stabbing them with a sharp stick. Chanhee is sneakier about his approach, more patient in contrast to Changmin’s wild and fast-tempo bounce. His aura is slightly more muted, a faint link of energy connecting him and Changmin as he channels his power into Changmin. A power-up boost, Chanhee describes it, like supercharging Changmin’s power. Maybe not perhaps the strongest of duos, but they make it work, keeping Younghoon completely (physically) scratch-free for a week and a half. They’re not terrifying, per se, but Younghoon can’t help but worry about his potential future enemies if he chose to pursue this, ah, risky career path.

“It’s not as bad as you make it sound,” Changmin snorts, waving his breadstick in the air. He has an endless supply of them, pulled out of thin air whenever he defeats some creatures. Their essences, he claims, either explodes or becomes breadstick. Makes cleaning up a lot easier, apparently. Chanhee tries to hand Younghoon one, but thinking about how they’re basically fried sticks of dead Shadow Creatures just makes Younghoon lose his appetite a little.

“It is, though. Risking your life almost 24/7? It’s not for me,” Younghoon counters, grumbling stomach eventually giving in as the aroma of the breadsticks wins him over. Chanhee hands him one, still chewing on the one in his own mouth. Changmin just shakes his head at Younghoon.

“Sangyeon chose you for a reason. As someone who’s been saved by him many times, I trust his judgement,” Changmin says, trying to sway Younghoon over. He fails, understandably, but it’s a valiant attempt nonetheless.

“He could be wrong. I mean, he chose me at birth, right? People change when you’re not watching,” Younghoon argues. Changmin and Chanhee are quiet at this, unable to retort as Younghoon lets comfortable silence fall over them. He’s not difficult, just a realist.

And realistically, Younghoon could never become a hero.

“What’s it like over there?” Younghoon asks, half-sitting-half lying between the wall and his bed. Chanhee, in penguin form, is curled up in a ball, napping on Younghoon’s bed while Changmin in human form is practically draping himself over Younghoon. He’s the clingy one, Younghoon notes, more prone to physical displays of affection than Chanhee’s more verbal ones. Both are nice, Younghoon concludes, trying to ignore the skip in his heartbeat. He’s not entirely sure what that means. 

“Over where?” Changmin asks, tilting his head up to meet Younghoon’s eyes from his perch on Younghoon’s shoulder. Younghoon shrugs.

“I don’t know, the spirit world? Seoul? The academy? Anything is fine, really,” Younghoon rambles, gesturing wildly with his free arm. Changmin hums in acknowledgement, a faraway look in his eyes as his lips quirk into a smile.

“Well for starters, the spirit world is more nature-y,” Changmin begins, his hands miming some indecipherable thing. Younghoon had found him to be prone to doing so, some gestures repeating enough to be decipherable, while most just staying as vague hand motions.

“Like more trees and forests?” Younghoon guesses, picturing the pretty forest backdrops he sees in video games. Changmin hums an odd noise, another indecipherable yet adorable Changmin habit, as he purses his lips.

“Well, yes but no. There’s a lot of forests, sure, but also other natural things. Like a lot more mountains and lakes. And magic plants. Too many magic plants,” Changmin explains, miming a tree growing from the ground. He’s incredibly expressive, like that. Younghoon chuckles at his explanation, shrugging it off as he’ll never get to visit the spirit world with a camera or something. Still, he hopes he could see it with his own eyes someday. 

“What about Seoul?” Younghoon asks. Changmin sighs, drooping like a wilted flower closer to Younghoon’s left chest, and by extension, his heart, as he smiles a soft, wistful smile.

“Honestly?” Changmin begins, voice small and full of soft wonder as he recalls something, “you haven’t truly seen a cityscape until you’ve seen Seoul from the mountain line. Hee and I used to go up there all the time just for the view. It’s really nice.”

Younghoon smiles. “Sounds amazing. But what about inside the city? I heard it’s just really busy and a lot less nice.”

Changmin nods. “For the most part, yeah. Everything’s on a different beat to the rest of us. It’s nice though, just people-watching and guessing what they could be late for.”

Younghoon makes a disgruntled noise, slowly running out of arguments for refusing a position in the Anchorage Program.

“And the academy?” Younghoon asks. A soft smile blooms on Changmin's face like a rainbow peeking through the clouds, accentuated but a sigh.

“Like a second home, I guess,” Changmin muses, picking at a stray thread on Younghoon’s pillow. He’s fidgety, Younghoon notes, not in the sense of bouncing off the walls with energy, but more like a nervous child on a stage for the first time. He loves to dance, according to Chanhee, always itching for a chance to perform. He’d be a performer in another life, Chanhee tells Younghoon when they’re watching Changmin mingle with a nearby dance circle. Younghoon agrees, the ever-observant half of his brain noting how closely Changmin’s passion for dancing bleeds into his fighting style. There’s a certain grace and rhythm to his movement, even when he’s doing something as mundane as picking apart Younghoon’s pillow.

“How’d you meet Sangyeon, by the way?” Younghoon asks, trying to keep up a conversation. He doesn’t hate silence, per se, just revelling in the fact that he can talk to someone when everyone in town seems to be avoiding him like the plague.

“Sangyeon caught Hee and I trying to see how many pencils we could fit in one of our friends’ nostrils and just passed us more pencils. He’s also our boss, kind of. It’s complicated,” Changmin explains, chuckling to himself as a glint of mischievousness sparks in his eye.

“He seems fun,” Younghoon notes, chuckling as well as he tried to picture the scene. Changmin hums, dropping his head onto Younghoon’s lap as a yawn is drawn out of his mouth. It’s nearly 11 PM, judging from the digital clock practically glaring at Younghoon from the bedside table. There’s a dull hum of fatigue in the back of Younghoon’s mind, although it’s drowned in his thoughts as Younghoon sighs. Changmin’s light snores fill the room, ever the one to fall asleep easily. Younghoon envies him.

“It’s weird, isn’t it?” Younghoon mutters to himself, sitting alone in the darkness of his room, nothing but the dim light of the streetlamps outside keeping him company.

“How out of place you always are,” Younghoon mutters, letting his eyelids droop close.

See, Kim Younghoon should’ve known he was always a little more than meets the eye. Hailing from a family of Quips, people with warlock relatives but without magic themselves, Younghoon has always known about the vast number of magic circuits in his body. Dormant and silent, they don’t come out until he’s needed to absorb magic from another spirit. He’s like a sponge, according to his mom, soaking up excess magic from too-powerful spirits in order to help them transform into their human form. On some level, everyone knows Younghoon isn’t ever going to be just a normal citizen hiding away from the dangers of the world in the protection of the nations’ warlock and spirit teams. His mother had considered taking him to the city to try out for the Anchor program before, stopping only at the last minute when she realized she didn’t want to lose her son only three minutes old. According to Changmin, this was probably why he was so hard to track down.

Of course, Younghoon wasn’t really popular because of his predicament. It’s no unknown fact anchors attract Shadow creatures, eager for a quick and easy meal on a human with so many tasty magic circuits. He became an outcast of sorts, not really having any friends except for an old neighbour who moved away after elementary school. Jaehyun, the childhood friend, used to be the only one who could pull Younghoon out of his listless and shy bubble to feel the sunshine. But after he left, Younghoon reaccustomed himself back to people watching. He became more observant, easily spotting people who wouldn’t immediately run away from him. They were easier to hide among, that’s all. The auntie at the store was one of them, not caring how many magic circuits Younghoon had in his body so long as he remembers to close the freezer door. Apparently, that made him five times better than most of his peers.

Chanhee calls him a hermit at one point, discovering his old notebooks and journals about warlocks and spirits during his middle school obsession with heroes. He’s an observer, best at finding the little details in everyone’s actions but never acting on anything he finds. Chanhee compares him to a library, like a bank of information on people. Changmin compares him to a lonely squirrel in the rain, watching the world go by sadly. Younghoon would describe himself as a bit of both.

At some point, Younghoon accepts his new fate as a supposed main character in some hero story like the one in the mangas he loved to read. Changmin is sleeping on his shoulder, exhausted from fighting while Chanhee offers Younghoon a carton of strawberry milk. Younghoon takes it, only to fall forward when the bus hitches on the road. Their hands fall on each other for a moment and Younghoon finally shoves the lump in his throat out.

“I’ll do it,” Younghoon says, looking down to avoid Chanhee’s eyes, anxiety palpable in the air. Changmin, having just woken up and is rubbing his head from the sudden impact, blearily cracks an eye open at Younghoon.

“Do what? Drink the milk? You don’t have to. I’ll take it,” Changmin rambles, eyeing Younghoon’s beverage with a greedy eye. Chanhee slaps him on the shoulder, slipping his other hand into Younghoon’s palm as Younghoon grips, finally accepting his offer.

“Ignore him,” Chanhee mutters, a smile blossoming on his face as he pulls Younghoon back onto the seat to face him.

“Welcome to the team, Younghoon.”


	2. Possession is an Art in and of Itself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 1: Prologue

Sangyeon shows up about a day later, a bright smile on his face and a contract in hand. It’s somewhat unnerving, Younghoon thinks, how quickly his life and legal rights are signed over. They decide on staying for one more day to let Younghoon properly say goodbye to anything or anyone he wants, although it ends up just being Chanhee and Changmin trying to swindle ice cream out of him. Sangyeon joins them only to be the one to lose money in the whole exchange (where he got it from is a question Younghoon won’t ask. He’s not stupid enough to pass up on free ice cream). They end up spending the day walking around town as Younghoon points out all of his favourite spots with a slight sad pang in his chest. He discovers Sangyeon likes photography, carrying both a polaroid camera and a fancy professional-looking camera. Different scenes should be captured differently, he claims after snapping a polaroid of the playground Younghoon met his childhood friend Jaehyun at. Polaroids capture memories better, apparently.

“Have you packed yet?” Sangyeon asks, checking through his new photos while Younghoon hangs by his side, watching Changmin and Chanhee zip through the air with their spirit magic, fighting over a popsicle.

“I think so?” Younghoon replies, voice lilting up at the end of his sentence as he purses his lips, uncertainty swarming him.

“It’s scary, isn’t it,” Sangyeon muses, setting down his camera as he gives Younghoon a sympathetic pat on the shoulders.

“I think I’m just sad,” Younghoon mutters, more to himself. It doesn’t fall on deaf ears, earning him a sad smile as he feels Sangyeon gently ruffling his hair.

“Yeah, that’s valid.”

Younghoon’s parents allow him one last brunch with Dabin before he goes to the station, already distancing themselves out of fear to the point of spending only the bare minimum time they have to as his parents at dinner last night. His mom slips him a small necklace, a thin silver chain with a small red flower hanging from it. It’s a blooming heart, the same kind of flowers she grows on the kitchen windowsill. It’s too dangerous to be exposed to his aura and carry the marked Shadow scent, but the little gifts are okay. Somehow, Younghoon doesn’t really care for it anyway.

Brunch was a wild affair, everything from Changmin and Dabin arguing over the legitimacy of aliens to Sangyeon nearly dozing off and turning into a panda in the middle of the restaurant. Younghoon deals with it all with but a sigh and a fond smile as he watches himself click with his three new friends ridiculously well. Even Dabin takes note, pulling him in to whisper while the others bicker and nap.

“They make you happy, don’t they?” Dabin whispers, a fondness dripping from her voice Younghoon can’t quite get used to. He’ll never get used to it, a small part of his brain registers, especially now. Younghoon fights down the frown.

“Yeah. I think I’ll be fine in the big city.”

Dabin offers to walk with them to the station, passing by a nearby shopping center for Sangyeon to stock up on a new roll of film while Chanhee and Dabin scour the market for skewers. Changmin opts to stay with Younghoon, leaning against a nearby street lamp pole as he blows gum bubbles and stares at the sky. He’s beautiful like this, black, sleeveless shirt that belonged to Younghoon hanging off of his slender frame like a beautiful tapestry draped over a statue. Younghoon’s a little more blended in than Changmin, a black hoodie covering his features as eyes seemingly bore into him. Younghoon gulps. The market air is amicable as always, the scent of fried seafood and chicken mingling with the chatter in the air, yet something doesn’t sit right with Younghoon. The hairs on the back of his neck stand up, as they always do when Shadow creatures are nearby. He might just be paranoid, but judging from the sharp line that hardens over Changmin’s features, he knows he’s not alone.

“Do you feel it?” Younghoon asks. Changmin doesn’t respond, pushing himself off of the lamp post as he pops his gum, throwing it out in a nearby trash can as he eyes the top of the buildings in the district. Then, he turns to Younghoon.

“I’m gonna go get a vantage point,” Changmin mumbles, not even waiting for Younghoon to respond before dashing to the nearest stack of chairs and pushing himself up, scaling the buildings as he flips onto the rooftop with almost no effort. Show-off, Younghoon thinks as bystanders start whispering and pointing at Changmin’s disappearing figure. He pulls out a sniper gun, startling about 70% of the bystanders as he aims it around, scanning for… something. Younghoon sighs, about to tell Changmin off when a piercing scream rings in the air. Yoonghoon whips his head towards the direction of the noise, watching as a flood of people start running chaotically around him. Without sparing a beat, Younghoon runs to the nearest lamp post to hang on and dodge the incoming wave of people, squinting as he tries to make out what they were running from. He glances back at Changmin to see an aura of magic envelop him as he jerks his head towards the source of the human flood. He then cups his mouth and mimes something before pointing towards the entrance of the shopping district. Younghoon nods, understanding his signal and jumping onto the nearest table as he cups his hands and yells.

“Everyone, to the entrance! Please get out of the way!” Younghoon yells, trying to gesture in the direction of the entrance. A few people listen, still screaming as they run but it’s progress nonetheless. However, it’s not enough. 

Younghoon grits his teeth, looking around for anything to amplify his sound. He doesn’t find anything, only to be interrupted by a loud, guttural roar. Younghoon swivels his head to the source, finding a gigantic black cloud forming in the middle of the street. Changmin and Chanhee are in the middle of it, swinging and jabbing wildly at… something while people run away. Younghoon lets his gaze drift around, panic rising in his chest as he realizes Dabin is nowhere in sight. Where could she be? If something happened to Dabin, Younghoon isn’t sure he could ever forgive himself.  _ He _ put her at risk for even going out to eat with her this morning.

With a hammering heart and anxiety-fueled bravery in his veins, Younghoon charges into the fray, gently pushing people in the direction of the exit whenever he can. He doesn’t know if it’s the shock of a crazy boy running towards the danger or something else, but almost everyone gets moving, complacent to his words as they stop panicking. By the time Younghoon reaches the battlefield, the entire district is almost completely evacuated, leaving only a panicked Younghoon desperately looking for his sister.

“Dabin?! Dabin!” Younghoon calls, ducking under a stray piece of debris as he skirts on the outside of the battlefield. A muffled scream echoes from behind one of the nearby stalls, the familiar sound soothing Younghoon’s nerves for just a moment as he rushes over. Dabin comes in sight immediately, tears in her eyes and scratches all over her body as a frazzled shop owner tries to shield her from the battle. Younghoon sighs, nearly collapsing as he ducks behind the stall too.

“Dabin! You’re alright!” Younghoon cries, wrapping her in a tight hug as his emotional spike finally dips a little. The fear creeps in now, the realization of what’s happening hitting Younghoon as he turns to the kind shop owner.

“Thank you for saving my sister,” Younghoon says, grabbing the man’s hands and clutching it with gratitude. The man doesn’t say anything just nodding along as Younghoon tries to flash him a reassuring smile, burying his panic and fear. If he’s going to be a hero one day, he can’t just freeze up right now.

“Can you take her to the other exit down the street? I can cover for you two for a little bit,” Younghoon asks, glancing at Dabin. Her knees are scratched raw and bloody, but otherwise fine. She can run, he notes, but not without cover. The shop owner nods shakily, mouth set into a hard line before faltering a little.

“But what about you?” he asks, concern in his tone. Younghoon just smiles and shakes his head.

“Don’t worry about me. Now go!” Younghoon orders, practically shoving them away as he turns back to the battle. Almost immediately, Chanhee slides to a stop next to Younghoon, still spinning his lance as they split into dual hand cannons, slotting perfectly onto Chanhee’s pale wrists as he launches balls of energy at the black cloud. Younghoon turns back to watch Dabin give him wide, fearful eyes along with a tremble on her lips. Then, she gives him a thumbs up before she’s ushered away by the nice shop owner. Younghoon gives her a mock two-finger salute, hoping to appear more confident than he actually is.

“Where’s Sangyeon?” Chanhee yells, pulling Younghoon away from his daze. His hand cannons fly into the air as they piece together into a lance again, landing in Chanhee’s hands as he twirls it, ready to jump back into the fray. His hair is frazzled, sticking up at odd angles as a terrifying look hardens in his eyes. Younghoon’s heart skips a beat at the sight, although he’s not sure if it’s more out of fear than anything.

“I don’t know,” Younghoon admits, eyes scanning the perimeter. Chanhee curses softly.

“We need to find him. Minnie and I can’t stall for much longer. Dehumanized Spirits are worse than Shadows,” Chanhee mutters, pouncing before Younghoon can even register his words. Dehumanized spirits. Spirits who spend too much time in the Spirit world and lose their humanity, turning into a ball of energy and chaos that threatens to destroy everything it sees.

Younghoon doesn’t know why it’s here, fear rooting him in place. Something kicks in at some point because Younghoon is moving now, running back to the shop Sangyeon was at earlier to find him. He finds and rescues a couple of stragglers on his way back, pushing some debris off a poor woman and coaxing a terrified child from the ruins of a stall before ushering them out. He’s calm and composed the entire time, even when random chunks of debris are lobbed at him. At one point, Younghoon even smashes a door open with a heavy pot, and he knows  _ that  _ can’t be the normal human rationale. He doesn’t know how he’s so calm, attributing it all to some unknown trait he’s never realized he has. Younghoon can function well under pressure, sure, but this? This is different.

This is scary.

“Sangyeon?! Where are you?” Younghoon yells, trying to scan the market for a gigantic panda, or at least, a gigantic panda-like human with an obsession over photography.

_ I don’t have a corporeal form right now. Your energy is too jumbled up to hold me here without a proper contract _ , Sangyeon’s voice echoes in his mind, like some disembodied wind spirit in the air. Younghoon whirls around, trying to find the source.

“But Chanhee says we need you! Do some magic or something!” Younghoon calls out, probably looking like a madman. Sangyeon’s voice sighs in his brain.

_ I’m trying to calm you enough so I can go corporeal again, so calm down, please?  _ Sangyeon whispers and everything clicks for a moment. Emotional magic. That’s how Younghoon is so calm. That’s how he could save all those people and not freak out.

“I can’t. Not right now, at least,” Younghoon mutters, trying frantically to spot any more stragglers now that he knows Sangyeon can’t be reached. Another sigh echoes in his brain.

_ Well then, I apologize in advance for this _ .

Before Younghoon can question Sangyeon’s words, the air is practically punched out of his guts, a rush of energy coursing through his veins as Younghoon doubles over, feeling spirit energy running at his fingertips. He chokes, coughing as he tries to stand up, limbs going weak.

“What the fuck?!” Younghoon yells, trying to push himself up. He feels his self-control burning up, limbs taken over by some force as he’s forcibly forced up and turned around to face the abomination. His fingers close together and sign a series of gestures before an intense blast of light surrounds everything. Younghoon watches with mild fear as everything happens, watches his body-that’s-no-longer-his pump out an incredible blast of magic as the world drowns in light. It fades into a sprawling landscape of a traditional Korean garden, complete with the willow and cherry blossoms and gigantic pagoda to one side. They’re standing in a dirt clearing of sorts, the sound of rushing water all around them as Younghoon spots Chanhee and Changmin standing outside of the circle of water that separates the dirt clearing from the rest of the garden. They’re watching him in mild confusion at first, before realization dawns to their eyes.

“Did you just possess me?” Younghoon mumbles to himself, apparently retaining speech in his possession.

_ I needed to channel the magic somehow. This is temporary though. I can’t hold it for long. Magic doesn’t work here in my Sanctum. We need to beat the spirit, and fast, _ Sangyeon orders, although he’s already commanding Younghoon’s limbs to dodge an incoming jab from a crazed-looking orangutan. Younghoon almost screeches just looking at it. He watches in amic of awe and terror as the orangutan charges at him again, only to be sidestepped as his knee comes in contact with its stomach, hands jabbing at the back of its neck. The orangutan falters for a moment, before jumping at Younghoon again as it tries to claw his face off. Younghoon’s body swerves out of the way, ducking the shot and slamming his elbow into the orangutan’s side as he launches it into the moat-like stream around the dirt patch. Fatigue eats at Younghoon’s muscles, pain blossoming in his bones as the energy fades, ebbing as the Sanctum fades back into reality. Yoonghoon blinks, gaze refocusing as he stares at a now-defeated orangutan spirit lying spread eagle and limp on the floor. Changmin and Chanhee charge at him, arms looping under Younghoon at the very last second when all of the spirit energy leaves, manifesting in a human. Younghoon lurches forwards, pain drowning him as he feels his insides revolt. He tries to open his mouth to speak, only for it to feel like sandpaper.

“Chanhee!” Changmin cries, spurring Chanhee into action as a new jolt of energy rejuvenates Younghoon, coursing through his body and spreading over his taste buds like a chocolate-chip cookie. A boost, he registers, to make sure he doesn’t collapse. He eyes Sangyeon, who’s kneeling in front of him, one hand outstretched to help him up, sympathy in his eyes.

“Sorry for that. I’m afraid it won’t get easier from here on out, though.”

Younghoon balls up his fist, a determined streak running through him.

“I can make it.”

They almost miss their train in all the excitement, barely clearing the medical checkup and a teary-eyed apology and farewell session with Younghoon’s parents. Dabin is fine in minutes, bandages on her knees as she wrapped her big brother in a tight hug and practically beams.

“Did you see yourself? You were so awesome, rescuing everyone and kicking the monkey’s butt!” Dabin exclaims, practically rambling as she gazes at Younghoon in awe. Younghoon blushes, shyness taking over as he scratches the back of his head.

“Well, the butt-kick was more Sangyeon—“

“You still kicked his butt though!”

Changmin whisks him away too soon, tapping his watch as he reminds Younghoon that they’re on a tight schedule. Dabin manages to pout her way into another hug, before waving goodbye to Younghoon as he runs to the station. Younghoon tears up by then, emotions spilling as he tries not to think about how that could have been the last time he saw his parents. Changmin morphs into an owl to fly ahead and try to save their spots as Sangyeon and Chanhee run alongside Younghoon, dragging his luggage with them.

“It’s okay, Hoonie, you’ll see them again. One day, you’ll see them again,” Chanhee mutters, channelling spirit energy to calm Younghoon down ever so slightly as his words worm their way to Younghoon’s heart. He sniffs, trying to contain the tears as he nods. Younghoon can’t talk and cry at the same time, after all.

“You were amazing back there, by the way,” Sangyeon notes, grinning ecstatically, “keeping calm with all that chaos? You’re truly Anchor material.”

Younghoon frowns. “Weren’t you calming my nerves?”

Sangyeon furrows his brows, shaking his head. “Only when you called my name. I couldn’t find you in the crowd before.”

Younghoon mouths a soft ‘oh’ as he feels a surge of pride swell up in his chest. Before he can respond to it, the station comes into view as Changmin stands at the entrance, waving four tickets at them.

“Hurry! We’ll miss the train!” Changmin yells. Younghoon curses under his breath, trying to pick up the pace as he skids to a stop in front of the station, Chanhee crashing into his back as he grabs a ticket out of Changmin’s hands. They make it mere seconds before the train leaves, barely managing to plop down onto the last few vacant seats.

“We made it,” Younghoon breathes, leaning against the cushion of the seat as he breathes in the train’s AC. Chanhee laughs, still breathing hard as the train starts to rumble and chugs along. Changmin and Sangyeon sit opposite Younghoon, smiling and panting as Younghoon sighs in relief. He glances outside, watching the night scenery start to zip by as he catches the last few fragments of the hometown he’s never ventured out from, smiling to himself as he bids the simple life goodbye. A part of him doesn’t even miss it, screaming ‘good riddance’ as the town flies too far out of sight for Younghoon to see. Changmin drums his fingers on the train’s table, humming in contentment as he grabs Younghoon’s attention.

“Seoul’s gonna be just like another home for you, just you wait,” Changmin says, his tone reassuring. Younghoon just smiles, taking in the sight of his three new companions on this strange, new chapter of his life, too frazzled and worn out from the day’s previous event to let the fact that he’ll never come back settle in. Somehow, that’s alright with him.

“You guys feel more like home than anything back there,” Younghoon muses, earning him an eye roll and a ‘cheesy’ comment from Chanhee. He doesn’t care though.

Younghoon thinks it’s about time he welcomes change.

"Hoonie, wake up," a gentle voice calls out, soothing as a hand jostles Younghoon's shoulder. Younghoon's eyelashes flutter open gently, blinking the sleep out of his eyes as he sniffs, pushing himself up. He half expects the train to jostle underneath him like the rickety subways he'd have to take back home. Seoul's trains, however, are smoother, almost like those futuristic stories he'd always read about. Younghoon sighs internally. He can't let his country bumpkin innocence get the best of him. The city isn't that foreign. It's just a city. The largest city with peace in the world during this never-ending war, but still just a city, right?

"We're almost there," Changmin whispers, tapping the window with childlike excitement in his eyes. His spirit magic rolls off of him in waves, amplified with his excitement. Younghoon resists the urge to smile fondly. Changmin's only been away from the city for about a month and he looks like he hasn't been since 10 years ago. Younghoon shifts, turning to look through the window and accidentally jostles Chanhee awake, who's been sleeping and leaning against his left shoulder. Younghoon flinches at Chanhee's gentle stirring, watching his magic aura spike up ever so slightly before dimming down into a soft hue of pink, his breath evening again. Younghoon exhales. Out of the corner of his eyes, he can see Sangyeon give him a raised eyebrow, gaze full of meaning. Younghoon looks away, trying to hide his reddening cheeks. Younghoon doesn’t even know what he’s implying in that gaze.

"Just a few more seconds, just you wait. It's absolutely beautiful," Changmin mutters, eyes glued to the passing grey tunnel they're travelling through. According to Changmin, you haven't lived until you've seen Seoul from the mountain train coming into the city, a landscape apparently so incredibly picturesque it resembles a painting. Younghoon had simply relented out of the need to keep Changmin from chattering the whole train car's ears off. Chanhee almost slapped him in an attempt to get him to shut up. A super-powered magic spirit slap, if the way his magic was pooling in his fists was any indication. Younghoon opens his mouth to tell Changmin to keep it down again, before bright sunlight filters through the window, interrupting Younghoon as he squints. Changmin is silent, mouth open in a soft gape as Younghoon turns around to look out the window, careful not to wake Chanhee up.

And well, to say Changmin wasn't wrong would be an understatement.

"Wow," Younghoon whispers, awed by the scene unfolding before him. Rolling mountains and hills run over the part of the city closest to him, dotted with tiny houses and clumps of forests, a beautiful hue of green and white to them. A large window runs through the middle of the city, practically cutting it in half as a glimmering blue sheen reflects off the sunlight so brightly, Younghoon swears he can see every little droplet. Skyscrapers tower everywhere, and the dull grey Younghoon expected to see is replaced with a glimmer of enchanting silver that seems so beautiful from afar. The scene was simple, yet even a million words couldn't begin to describe its picturesque.

A camera click echoes behind Younghoon, breaking the soft silence in the air as he whirls around to find Sangyeon holding his polaroid camera in one hand and a newly snapped picture in the other. He's shaking it, a smile on his lips as he eyes the photo. Then, he looks up to face Younghoon and shows him the picture, which captures both his and Changmin's agape mouth and the scenery with surprising quality, even down to the mop of tussled pink hair on Chanhee's sleeping head in the bottom right-hand corner. Cute. Too cute.

"I think I'll call it 'country bumpkin’s first city visit'," Sangyeon jokes, a glint of fondness in his eyes as he watches Changmin trace the edge of the skyline. Younghoon snorts, waving Sangyeon off as he grins at the scenery again. It’s simply too beautiful, he deems. Not even the looming threat of Younghoon’s upcoming journey of hell to become an anchor could hinder his amazement. He turns to find Changmin staring at him at one point, honey dripping from his gaze as a fond smile is etched on his features.

“Welcome to your new home, Younghoon,” Changmin whispers, a shit-eating grin on his face.

“Thanks,” Younghoon mutters, glancing out the window again as he watches another tunnel block off their view. He sighs, leaning back on his chairs as his eyelids slowly droop close again. The pendant on his neck is heavy all of a sudden, the little blooming heart charm seemingly responding to Younghoon’s newfound fear and anxiety as it rests on his neck. Chanhee rolls over ever so slightly, shifting so that his head leans against Younghoon’s collarbone. The weight is heavier than the pendant, something seemingly so grounding for him as Younghoon sighs silently, closing his eyes. With a soft pang of acceptance, Younghoon finally lets his emotions run free, mixing together in a spiral of intensity as Younghoon clutches his pendant like a lifeline.

His safety bubble has melted now, finally entering uncharted territory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> younghoon: what could possibly go wrong?  
> me: [eyes emoji]


	3. First Meetings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Act 2: The Entrance Exams

There are few things in this land that could scare one Kim Sunwoo, but the looming pagodas and towering spires of Creker Academy for the Gifted are definitely one of them.

“Are you getting cold feet?” a voice chirps from behind him, followed by a tackle as Sunwoo staggers forwards slightly to absorb the momentum, a good-natured smile on his face.

“As if,” Sunwoo scoffs, turning around to shrug his best friend off. Eric grins back at him, practically bouncing as he turns around to wave at his brother. Jaehyun is trailing behind them, less hyper than Eric and Sunwoo, carrying with him two backpacks as he waves back at Eric.

“You nearly forgot your bag in the car, Youngjae,” Jaehyun chides, throwing Eric’s bag at him as he rolls his eyes. Sunwoo just chuckles. Eric is a bundle of energy and enthusiasm 24/7, often foregoing carefulness for speed. It’s somewhat endearing, albeit annoying for the one who has to trail behind him and make sure he doesn’t run headfirst into a tree.

“Oops,” Eric mumbles, flushing red before turning to Sunwoo with the brightest smile in the world. His blond hair puffs up in the wind, the faint smell of an incoming rainstorm coming. Electricity runs down Eric’s skin, as usual, always overflowing from his never-ending supply of energy. He grabs Jaehyun and Sunwoo’s wrists, bouncing as he drags them through the front gate of the school.

“Come on! We need to get good seats for the briefing!” Eric exclaims, drawing a light chuckle out of Sunwoo as he bursts into a run, leaving Jaehyun as they barrel into the school.

Sunwoo met Eric when they were in third grade, instantly mesmerized with the way electricity sparkles off of Eric in waves. He himself was a warlock too, albeit a hidden one. Sure, Seoul had plenty of warlocks, but not all working as heroes. Sunwoo himself had never met another warlock, born into a family of normal humans. Heck, even his parents didn’t know until they found him and Eric defending a kid in his neighbourhood from Shadow creatures. Eric is energetic and outgoing, vibrant where Sunwoo is dimmer. Sure, Sunwoo is popular and an extrovert through and through, but it’s near impossible to match Eric’s kind of energy. He had recently moved from LA when they first met in third grade because his mother remarried a guy in Seoul. Sunwoo himself had never met Ms. Sohn, a busy lady who’s always on business trips with Eric’s stepdad. Jaehyun is the brother Sunwoo meets by extension, the one to teach Eric and Sunwoo how to use their powers. Really, Sunwoo wouldn’t have made it as far as he did without Jaehyun. Between countless sleepovers and half-panicked phone calls, because goddamnit Eric just jumped off a cliff, Sunwoo has grown to see Jaehyun as his own brother. He’s an only child, after all. Sunwoo loved the concept of brotherhood.

This leads him to now, running through the halls of Creker Academy with a best friend by his side and pseudo brother chasing after them. Excitement courses through his veins, much like when the letter of acceptance came in the mail for the second round of admission exams. His entire body hums with anticipation, half from the fact that he could be getting his spirit today and the other half from the pure fact that he’s doing it with his bestest friend in the whole wide world.

Suddenly, the pair skids to a stop, reaching an overlook that watches over the large courtyard in front of the school they had previously charged through. At the entrance, a large crowd was forming, seemingly stumbling over each other as two cars pull up to the front of the school. It’s too far for Sunwoo to see anything, so he looks around, finding a mounted binocular and tapping Eric’s shoulder. Eric nods, gliding over to the binocular as Sunwoo ticks his face into the view, plugging one of the headphones of the sound amplifier into his right ear. Eric takes the left one, peeking in one half of the binocular before making a strangled sound.

“Is that—” Sunwoo gasps, zooming in as far as the binoculars would allow as he winces from the sound of screaming fangirls from across the street. Eric nods next to him.

“Lee Juyeon and Kevin Moon. Oh my god, they’re here today,” Eric rambles, excitement rising in his tone. Lee Juyeon and Kevin Moon are perhaps two of the most famous potential warlocks this year, hailing from Korea’s revered Warlock Aristocracy. Juyeon is a part of the Lee family, one of the original seven founding families of the original Aristocracy. A century ago, his great grandfather had been the one to slay the Shadow General attacking Seoul. His entire family is famous, from leading scientists in the support industry to famous warlocks at the forefront of Korea’s defence line against the Shadows. After taking a gap year to focus on his training, Lee Juyeon is about to enter Creker Academy as a Spy Class, thus adding an aura of mystery around him. The fangirls eat it all up.

And then there’s Kevin Moon, the second son of the Moon family, a new family to the Aristocracy after extending their support item monster corporation from Canada to South Korea. His brother is set to inherit the family business while Kevin enrolls at school. Sunwoo remembers seeing Kevin in the tabloids, a practitioner on the front lines during his high school years. Supposedly he had gone back to Canada for a year of apprenticeship, coming back to Korea for university now. Sunwoo had heard rumours he would be enrolling in Creker, but seeing the one and only Kevin Moon up close is another business.

“Wait, I think one of them’s talking,” Eric mutters, snapping Sunwoo out of his daze. He tunes back into the audio feed, blinking as he tries to spot the pair again.

“Juyeon,” Kevin says, stopping a few meters before the gate and holding his hand out for a good-natured handshake, “we finally meet.”

“Likewise,” Juyeon smiles back, taking Kevin’s hand. He’s a few inches taller than Kevin, slick black hair the tiniest tint of navy running in the wind like a Febreeze commercial. The fangirls swoon as they shake hands, parting to step into the school.

“I never took you two for the fanboy type, but you always surprise me, don’t you,” Jaehyun’s voice snaps Sunwoo out of his gaping awe, pulling him back to reality as Sunwoo jumps. Eric yelps, nearly banging his head against the binoculars as he pouts.

“We’re not fanboying, just scoping out the competition!” Eric defends, to which Sunwoo nods vehemently along with. Jaehyun just snorts, crossing his arm as he rolls his eyes.

“Sure. As if Lee Juyeon isn’t practically your idol,” Jaehyun mumbles, grinning before he starts to walk away, beckoning them along.

“Come on, I looked at the map while you two were running around fanboying,” Jaehyun calls. Eric flushes, stamping his foot as a strangled sound echoes in the air.

“We weren’t fanboying!”

They were, in fact, fanboying, but Jaehyun drops the topic. He leads them to the main hall where the briefing was going to happen, losing Eric and Sunwoo the moment they step into the room. Apparently, they spotted a famous hero in the corner of the room. Jaehyun isn’t as well versed in heroics as they are, so he just lets them run free. If something bad happens, they can call him. Or, realistically, he’ll see something explode.

Per usual, Jaehyun hangs on the outskirts of the large room, just observing the people coming in and out of the room. He’s not an introvert in any way, but Jaehyun knows more than three-quarters of the people in this room won’t make it to the other side of the selection test. He’s not in the mood to listen to endless boasting and overconfidence.

Jaehyun finds the buffet table soon enough, quickly spotting the little watermelon slices they leave out for students. He starts quietly munching on them, looking around the room to spot a mop of blond hair or a mess of red hair running around like hyperactive children. The atmosphere is full of nervous energy, barely diffusing into chitchat. Jaehyun smiles, letting his magic pool at his fingertips. It’s always good to warm up a little.

“Not one for partying?” A voice interrupts Jaehyun’s quiet moment, deep and friendly. Jaehyun looks over to find Lee Juyeon, the same one Eric has a poster of back home. Jaehyun tries not to laugh.

“Nah, I just don’t wanna listen to some cocky fresh-out-of-high-school boast about their magic. I mean, most of them won’t make it anyway,” Jaehyun drawls, chuckling light-heartedly as he watches Juyeon laugh along. His eyes crinkle into half-moon shapes, somewhat adorable as Jaehyun recalls his age.

“You’re twenty-one, right?” Jaehyun asks, offering a slice of melon with the question. Juyeon makes an affirmative noise, graciously accepting the melon. A glint of light peeks out from Juyeon’s waist as he moves, catching Jaehyun’s attention as he spots a dagger, probably Juyeon’s preferred weapon. It’s carefully concealed in a way that Jaehyun could only see it from his specific angle. A true mark of a prepared test-taker, he muses.

“What about you?” Juyeon asks, mouth half-full with melon before he catches himself, looking sheepish as he opens his mouth to apologize. Jaehyun laughs at the sight, waving him off.

“I’m twenty-two. You can call me hyung if you want, but I’m Jaehyun,” Jaehyun introduces, giving Juyeon his friendliest smile. Juyeon smiles back, about to say something else when they’re interrupted by a mic echoing in the hall. A lady leans into the mic, grabbing everyone’s attention as she smiles.

“The briefing will be beginning in the next 10 minutes. If you need to use the washroom now, I suggest you go. Otherwise, please start taking your seats,” the lady announces, a gentle smile on her features. Jaehyun hums.

“Guess I’ll be going now?” Jaehyun says, turning to Juyeon. Juyeon widens his eyes as if remembering something, setting down his slice of melon on the table.

“Wait, can I strike a deal with you?” Juyeon asks, voice raising ever so slightly. Jaehyun raises his brow but stays to hear his proposal anyway. Juyeon scratches the back of his head.

“Well, it’s just you’re like, on top of the written test. I’m not sure how good you are at fighting, but…” Juyeon trails off, seemingly embarrassed now. Jaehyun just laughs.

“Yeah, I’ll team up with you,” Jaehyun smiles. Juyeon’s eyes light up like a cat spotting a laser.

“Really?” He asks, stepping forwards in excitement. Jaehyun nods.

“Yeah! I just gotta take care of my little brother and his friend too, so I guess you’ll be with us by extension. You can’t miss them. One’s got electricity streaming out of him and another has bright red hair,” Jaehyun explains, pleased to see Juyeon nod.

“And I’ve got a teammate too. Kevin Moon, you know him?” Juyeon asks, tilting his head. Jaehyun snorts.

“Of course I know Kevin Moon. Who doesn’t? But aren’t you two like rivals or something?” Jaehyun asks. Juyeon purses his lips.

“Officially, yeah, but… it’s complicated,” Juyeon settles on saying, scratching the back of his head again. Jaehyun arches his eyebrow. Real-life Juyeon is nothing close to the cool mysterious guy Eric’s always raving about. This Juyeon is awkward and cute, and Jaehyun can’t stop the small bloom of endearment tugging at the corners of his lips.

“That’s fine. I’ll tell my brother,” Jaehyun says, patting Juyeon’s shoulder in an attempt to soothe him before plopping the rest of his melon into his mouth. He walks away, giving Juyeon a two-finger salute and a grin.

“See you soon!” Jaehyun calls back. Juyeon nods, smiling before he slinks back into the shadows.

Okay, maybe they’re not all bad.

“I’m screwed. I am so screwed. Sangyeon’s gonna finally snap because I’m late and oh my god I am so screwed!” Younghoon mutters to himself, power-walking down the hallways of Creker Academy as he tries to balance the stack of files in his hands. He had forgotten to grab them from the house that morning, too busy playing Mario Kart with Changmin before the spirit had to go get ready for the test. Profiles for all two hundred applicants and potential students had already been reviewed and marked all over by Younghoon and Sangyeon over the last few weeks, and Younghoon would probably cry if he had to work on basically nothing because of a memory slip.

It doesn’t help that he’s late for the briefing, deciding to skip it altogether as he heads to the observation deck where the spirit guides were going to be watching the warlocks in their test to eventually form teams. Younghoon is supposed to be Sangyeon’s second pair of eyes, observation ability sharpened by tenfold after his rigorous three years at the academy. He’s come so far. He can’t ruin his chance like this. He’s already had to delay for two years because Sangyeon found him way too late, six years ago.

“I am so screwed!” Younghoon mumbles again for good measure as he feels the tower of files wobbles. He tries to steady himself, only to feel someone crash into him as he lurches forwards, spilling the files all over the fall as gravity takes over, leaving Younghoon with a painful throb in his head and his body spread-eagled on the floor.

“Fuck oh my god I’m so sorry!” a voice calls out, probably the person who crashed into Younghoon. Younghoon flushes, scrambling for his papers as he turns around to give the stranger a panicked smile.

“Oh no no! I’m sorry for bumping into you! I just couldn’t see, sorry!” Younghoon rambles, shoving the papers back into their respective folders as he tries to rush. He’s already late, goddamnit!

As Younghoon reaches for the last few files, a hand extends into his view with a neatly stacked pile of paper, waving them to catch his attention. Younghoon looks up to meet the stranger’s eyes, wide and apologetic as his bright red fringe hangs at his eye level. Younghoon bites his bottom lip.

“I should be sorry. Wasn’t looking where I was going,” the stranger says, standing up as he helps slide the folders into Younghoon’s arms again. Younghoon gives him a grateful smile.

“Thanks. I’m Younghoon, by the way. Anchor,” Younghoon introduces, sneaking his free arm out for a handshake. The stranger takes it, firm grip to his hand as he smiles back.

“Sunwoo, future first year. Now could you point me to the bathroom…?”

Kevin slinks against the wall, trying to hide in the shadows as he runs to an empty seat by the back of the room. The entire hall is almost filled up now, people settling into their seats as a giant chandelier hangs over their heads. Soft yellow light coats the whole room, an odd decor choice in contrast with the beige wooden walls and spiralling red dragon murals. They’re beautiful, in Kevin’s humble opinion. He wonders if he could paint them someday.

Today is not that day, however, as the room is chock full of people and Kevin is anything but an extrovert. He looks around, trying to find Juyeon, the one familiar face he can spot in the crowd. They had met twice already, once briefly by the gate earlier, putting up a public greeting for Juyeon’s fan club and another time before entering the hall when Juyeon proposed teaming up for the entrance exam. Kevin had quickly agreed, knowing he wouldn’t have it in him to sabotage his secret childhood best friend anyway.

It’s strange how well they get along when everyone around them sets them up as some intense rivals.

“Well well well, what do we have here,” a voice calls out from behind Kevin. Kevin flinches, fearing the worst as he turns around to face the voice, only to find out the message wasn’t intended for him. Instead, it came from three burly guys, all around his age, trapping a poor little boy between them. Kevin frowns, keeping his head down as he ducks out of his chair and behind the nearest pillar, trying to listen in.

“Who are you guys? Let me out, I need to go to my seat,” the boy retorts, surprisingly calm and confident considering three Brawler class looking warlocks were staring down at him. Kevin sneaks a peek at him to find electricity drumming down his skin, almost invisible against the yellow hoodie that nearly drowned him. His legs are shaking slightly, a sign of his nervousness that brings a scowl to Kevin’s face.

“A little runt like you wants to hang with the rest of us? Why don’t you run home to mommy? It’s not safe for you little guys out in the real world,” one of the guys teases, dropping into baby speech as his two friends cackle. The boy flushes red, anger probably thundering in his veins and Kevin chooses that moment to intervene. He taps into his power, running his hand into a long pole as he fashions a holographic hammer, holding it in both hands as he sidles up next to the three guys.

“Why don’t you three pick on someone your own size, huh?” Kevin calls out, pulling the guys’ attention onto him as he walks towards them, gaze hardened. Their irises shrink, staggering backwards for a moment before the burliest of them all scowls.

“Kevin Moon. You’ve got big talk,” the guy spits, raising his hand as red energy clouds around it. Kevin raises one of his hands, summoning a floating rope that twists around the guy’s wrist, looping to his other one in the blink of an eye, tying them together before the guy even has time to yelp. The other two guys watch in mild fear as Kevin loops the rope onto his legs, tying him up like roast pork as the guy falls to the ground, holographic ropes tying him together. His buddies snarl, stepping forward towards Kevin as energy swarms around their hands. Kevin raises his hand again, ready to strike when suddenly they both jolt, falling limply to the ground as the boy from before holds his hands up, an innocent smile on his face.

“I had it covered,” the boy says, an annoyed tilt to his voice. Kevin laughs.

“Sure, but I was scared you’d blow the whole room up,” Kevin jokes, dispersing his hammer as he holds out his hand as a gesture of friendliness to the stranger. The boy eyes it somewhat warily, before taking his hand.

“Kevin Moon,” Kevin introduces himself, reflexes almost taking over to bow. He’s not at one of Mother’s Galas. It’s just a school exam briefing.

“I know, I’m Eric Sohn,” the boy—Eric—responds, shaking his hand firmly as he glances back at the three, ah, occupied bodies on the floor.

“Wanna sit with me?” Kevin proposes, trying his hardest not to run away now that reality comes back to him. He just tied someone up and the exam hasn’t even started yet. Oh no no no no—

“Sure,” Eric chirps, the very image of bright energy as he pulls Kevin away. Kevin shoots the others one last look before tearing his gaze away. He didn’t make three enemies, did he? The exam hasn’t even started!

“I’m twenty-one, by the way,” Kevin says, trying to use formalities to escape the situation. Eric smiles.

“I know, I’m twenty. You’re famous, Kevin-ssi,” Eric laughs. Kevin flushes, forgetting his face is on Warlock Digest’s top ten warlocks to look out for this coming school season.

“Just hyung is fine, or even just Kevin,” Kevin says, waving him off with a smile, “you don’t sound like you’re from Korea anyway.”

Eric grins. “Nah, I moved here when I was eight. I’m basically Korean, but Kevin sounds fine with me,” he says. Kevin notices a slight nervous clip to his tone and attributes it to Kevin being famous and all. Ah, he really does not like that fact.

“Did you come here with anyone?” Kevin asks as they settle into their chairs. Eric had pulled him up closer to the podium during their introductions, somewhere in the middle of the hall. There are two bags next to him, presumably for someone else. Eric nods.

“Yeah, my brother Jaehyun and my friend Sunwoo. Sunwoo’s just off going to take a piss while Jaehyun’s grabbing us some food,” Eric explains. Kevin hums, nodding along. They fall into an easy pattern of chat, talking about family and friends. At some point, Kevin learns that Eric has the fattest celebrity crush on a famous warlock team called Shinee, while Eric learns that Kevin would probably trade his soul for an American Pop Singer named Beyonce.

“She’s like, my queen, dude,” Kevin drawls, practically raving. Eric just laughs.

“I’m not a fan but yeah. She’s an icon.”

At some point, Eric’s friend Sunwoo and his brother Jaehyun return and introductions are made again. Jaehyun tells them about meeting Juyeon and proposes the team up again, to which Kevin easily agrees to. He had expected one teammate, but ended up with four? Lady Luck seemed to be smiling on him today. Eventually, their chitchat is cut short by mic feedback ripping through the air. Kevin winces at the sound, but it gets his attention nonetheless. The lady from before is standing at the podium, looking regal and proper as she smiles, extending her arms.

“Good afternoon, future warlocks,” the lady begins, voice echoing through the room. Polite applause ripples through the crowd, filling up the soundscape as the lady beams.

“For the past seven years, Creker Academy for the Gifted has been training the nation’s next top warlock teams. In a world overrun by creatures of darkness, warlocks stand against the darkness, fighting until their final moments to defend the world alongside their Spirit partners in the Neverending War.

“We here at Creker Academy believe that the very first step towards any great warlock is education, with our programs tailored to prepare you all for the great dangers that lie ahead. However, not everyone can take this first step.

“There will be trials and tribulations through your journey here at Creker Academy each designed to weed out those unfit for the war against Evil. Those who are strong, wise and reliable will rise to the top here at the Academy, while those who fail to keep up will be expelled, returned to normal society,” the lady announces, pausing a moment to let the message sink in with a smile. Nervous energy erupts in the crowd, sinking into Kevin’s bones as he involuntarily starts bouncing his leg in anxiety.

“The first of your tests begin today, with Team selection and Spirit partnering as well. Our cast of Spirit guides number at ten today, meaning only fifty of you will actually pass this first exam. Let me break it down for those unaware.

“A warlock team is composed of twelve members, five warlocks, five spirits, a spirit guide and a human anchor. Each warlock will have to seek out their spirits in today’s challenge to slot them into five different classes: the Support, the warlock in charge of the well being and condition of their team; the Spy, espionage focused warlock aimed at finding and extracting information; the Tank, the guardian and a shield for their team; the Brawler, the team’s main strongest fighter at close quarters; and the Ace, the team’s most versatile and strongest member, chosen from the top scorers of the exam.

“Guides and their Anchors will serve as the team’s leaders, all examining you today to pick out the members most fit for their team and slotting you into your roles. The exam will work as follow,” the lady explains, stopping as she turns around to hold up a cube, about the size of Kevin’s fist. It’s black and sleek but glowing with a strong aura of magic. Kevin sucks in a breath.

“Each of these cubes holds a spirit. Fifty of them are scattered everywhere in the examination field, ready for you to find and collect. The spirit inside will be your partner, but that doesn’t mean the test is over.

“The exam will happen for four hours. In that time, anyone can attack another student. Even if that student already has a spirit, you can steal their spirit by simply obtaining their cube. As a result, no one is particularly safe. Ever,” the lady drawls, punctuating her last words as she curls up her hands, making the cube vanish. A gasp draws over the room, quiet murmurs bubbling. Another staff on stage pounds a heavy-looking sword onto the floor, sound resounding across the room.

“Silence!” he exclaims, effectively shutting up the whole room. Kevin gulps. Even if he gets a spirit, he’s not safe. Should he try to find one right away then? Surely grabbing a cube would be like painting a target onto his back. Not that there wasn’t one already, Kevin thinks, mind wandering back to the three guys earlier. He had shattered his holograms already, so they should be free, but they must be angry.

“Now, please get ready, everyone. The exam will begin in half an hour in the forest behind the school. Good luck, and good hunting.”

Kevin has never run that fast in his entire life.

“You’re nervous, aren’t you?” Sangyeon’s voice cuts Younghoon out of his daze. Younghoon startles, blinking as he turns to Sangyeon, red tinting his cheeks.

“It’s team selection, of course, I’m nervous. I’ll be with them my entire life, basically,” Younghoon mutters fiddling with his pen as he stares at the gigantic screen with numerous cameras around the battlefield. Most of the warlocks have taken their places in the two hundred glass cases surrounding the school forest, at the very edge of a blue barrier. The goal was for them to fight towards the middle, where more cubes are hidden than on the outskirts. An empty list with five slots is displayed on the pad at Sangyeon’s and Younghoon’s station, ready to be filled with their future team. Files are scattered everywhere on the table, a similar sight all across the room, anticipation palpable in the air. This is where the magic happens, Younghoon muses.

“Five,” a female announcer voice echoes over the system, jolting Younghoon to attention as the countdown begins. Sangyeon grips his arm, a reassuring smile on his face.

“Four,” the voice continues. Younghoon watches as the warlocks start to crouch into ready positions, waiting for their cases to be released. Five of them will be his future teammates.

“Three,” the voice says, monotonous as Younghoon blinks, mouth set in a hard line. He’s the one really in charge here, observation ability going to be running at full force to choose the best they can get. It’s a competition of speed, to scoop up the best warlocks before the other pairs can.

“Two,” the voice rings in the room, matching the pounding of Younghoon’s heart. The cubes around the battlefield flicker to life, spirits inhibiting them stirring awake as the glass cases start to hiss and open.

“One,” the voice beeps, the last second of serenity before everything turns red. The glass cases open, a wave of more than two hundred warlocks spilling into the battlefield as a shrill horn rings in the air and Younghoon gets to work.

It’s finally time.


	4. Fight or Flight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Act 2: The Entrance Exams

The only thing that runs through Jaehyun’s mind when he’s barreling through the forest at ass kilometres per hour is how goddamn cold it is. It’s somewhat ironic, he thinks, considering the fact that Jaehyun is literally travelling and fighting with ice. He met a small group earlier consisting of two girls who decide to call a truce with him as the game has just begun. He’s sliding closer to the center of the arena now, knowing there’s a higher chance of finding cubes there. It’s just how these exams work.

“Come on, where are you,” Jaehyun mutters, ducking under a branch as he casts his gaze into the sky. There’s a gigantic hologram leaderboard of sorts, used to show who has a cube and who hasn’t. So far no one has gotten one.

Jaehyun grits his teeth, scanning the tree lines. Eric and Sunwoo are out there somewhere, as is Juyeon and Kevin. He’ll have to find them after. Priority number one is a cube for himself.

After a few more minutes combing through the forest, a suspicious silver glint catches Jaehyun’s eyes, making him dodge the incoming projectile mere moments before it hits, swiping his hand up to form a shield of ice as he unsheathes Scorpion, his dual blade. Almost instantly, a guy leaps out from behind a bush, some kind of curved blade in hand as he swings at Jaehyun, nearly decapitating him. Jaehyun remembers the pamphlet, talking about how none of them can actually kill in the arena. If a contestant drops below a certain threshold of power, the arena will simply spit them to the edge of the battlefield to restart. Whilst in the arena, though, all they have to rely on is their spirits auras, once they get them.

Jaehyun sidesteps a wild swing of the guy’s blade, swinging Scorpion in a wide arc as he disarms him, kicking his stomach as he jumps, dodging the returning blade thrown at him earlier. Of course, it’s a boomerang. With practiced ease, Jaehyun uses his ice to slow down his opponent with well-timed chills, dodging all of his swipes before spinning Scorpion into the guy, making him dissipate on the spot. Without missing a beat or wasting a moment, Jaehyun returns to his path, sliding along the forest floor once more.

The next glint of light is a more beneficial one, coming in the form of a little black cube hanging from a tall tree. Out of the corner of his eyes, Jaehyun can see five other people try to jump towards the cube. Gritting his teeth, Jaehyun summons ice to explode in every direction, covering the small clearing in ice as he pushes himself up to the tree, fingers nearly grazing the cube. All of a sudden, a whistling blade travels towards him, about to strike when another intercepts its path, too quick for Jaehyun to react. Jaehyun whips his head towards the origin of the second blade to see a sudden blur flying towards the origin of the first blade. Jaehyun sucks in a breath when he sees Juyeon taking on two at the same time, shooting him a glare. The intent is clear. Jaehyun needs to grab the cube.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Jaehyun envelopes the little black cube in his palm, watching in wonder as bright pink energy erupts into the air like a beacon, too bright to stare directly at. He turns away, covering his eyes as the light flashes, surely alerting anyone within a hundred-meter radius of his position. Jaehyun lowers his arm and braces himself for a spirit, only to be met with a skinny, fae-like human with bright pink hair and a pure white outfit. Almost fashionable, a small part of Jaehyun’s brain notes. It’s overshadowed by a single thought that runs rampant in his mind, spilling out of his mouth before Jaehyun can hold it back.

“You’re beautiful,” he breathes. The spirit smiles.

“I’m Chanhee, but that too” he corrects, raising his arms as two curved white rings fly into the air, aimed at where Juyeon is fighting. Jaehyun snaps to his senses, running over to stop the first blast and lightly shove Chanhee to the side. Chanhee yelps, nearly falling to the ground as Jaehyun shoots out a platform underneath him. Chanhee glares at him.

“What the—“

“One of them’s a friend!” Jaehyun yells quickly, plucking off pieces of his platforms to form spears of sorts, sending them down towards the others to help Juyeon. Chanhee seems to understand, waving his arms in a wild circle as his curved white mini-cannons fire smaller blasts of pure light energy. Warlocks dissipate left and right, vanishing into thin air. Problem is, so many others were coming, and judging from their footsteps, they weren’t alone. Juyeon teleports to his side, form fading in and out of the real world for a split second as he turns to face Jaehyun. A smirk splits on his face.

“‘Sup,” Juyeon grins, much to Jaehyun’s amusement.

“Let’s get out of here and find the others. Chanhee? This is Juyeon, a friend. Juyeon, Chanhee, my spirit,” Jaehyun quickly introduces, raising a wall of ice to block an incoming projectile. This one explodes. That’s not a good sign.

“I can try and teleport us out, but I don’t know if I can do three…” Juyeon proposes, that nervous look returning to his eyes. Suddenly Chanhee grabs his arm, magic flowing from his body to Juyeon’s as a determined look flashed through his eyes.

“Do it. I can lend you my strength,” Chanhee says. Juyeon nods, extending his hand to Jaehyun as they teleport, blinking from their perch in the sky to a tangle of branches as leaves, hidden almost entirely from view. Jaehyun risks a peek at the ground, watching as other warlocks stream by for a few minutes as they catch their breaths. The air is silent, nothing but high alert as Jaehyun pockets the cube Chanhee was in into his jacket pocket.

“Power up boosts, huh? And light manipulation?” Jaehyun summarizes, looking over at Chanhee. Chanhee nods.

“Ice and teleportation, if I’m reading the fight right,” Chanhee responds. Jaehyun and Juyeon nod, facing each other as a silent agreement passes between them. Jaehyun glances at the sky, seeing his name on top of the leaderboard with Chanhee’s next to it, as well as a spherical logo reading ‘TBZ’ resides next to his name. His team, Jaehyun realizes. Or at least, what will be his team.

“Let’s go get you a spirit, Nightcrawler.”

Kevin of the present would very much like to slap Kevin of the past right now because  _ the very same three dudes he pissed off are now chasing after him and Kevin can only run for so long _ . He ducks behind a tree, creating a harpoon to propel himself into the treeline as one of the guys pops out behind another tree, wilding swinging at him. This one can make blades out of his body, as Kevin has come to learn, swiping at Kevin wildly as Kevin creates a temporary shield to block one shot. Almost immediately, he’s back to running.

“Come out and fight like a man, you pussy!” One of the dudes yells, the biggest, burliest one who can make things explode with his touch. Kevin has been trying to dodge his big palms. He doesn’t like fighting back, the idea of hurting needlessly not sitting right with his stomach.

“Nah, I’ll pass!” Kevin yells back, creating springs at the sole of his shoes to bounce from tree to tree, desperately looking for a shiny black cube. One of the dudes behind him yells, sending a projectile at Kevin as Kevin turns around, flicking his hands up and summoning a counter blade to intercept it. Then, he runs.

“Where are you, you little shit,” Kevin mutters under his breath, trying to find the cube. He finally spots it, two small dangly cubes hanging side by side in a nearby bush. He pushes himself forward, reaching out his hand to grab the cube when an explosion knocks him off his course. Commander Explodo comes into view, a gigantic battle axe in hand as he glares Kevin down, a cruel smile on his face.

“Nowhere to run now, little deer,” Commando Explodo singsongs, a malicious glint in his eyes. Kevin winces. He can’t get up, not when pain is blossoming in his side. He can’t summon first aid either, too preoccupied trying to scurry away. Suddenly, a glint of silver catches his eyes, bouncing off the light as Kevin smiles, letting cockiness fill him for once.

“I don’t need to run,” Kevin says, catching Commando Explodo off-guard as he tilts his head in confusion, only for said head to be pierced by a silver dagger, dissipating him in an instant. Kevin glances at the leaderboard, panic rising in his chest as he realizes eleven people have already passed. He winces, trying to push himself up as two familiar figures run out from the forest, flanked by another Kevin doesn’t quite recognize. Jaehyun drops to his side immediately while Juyeon grabs the cubes, a bright light filling the air while Jaehyun starts applying ice to Kevin’s side.

“You good?” Jaehyun asks. Kevin nods, flicking his wrist to summon a first aid kit. Jaehyun understands, immediately getting to work applying anti-burn substance onto a cloth and dabbing Kevin’s side with it.

“Until you get a spirit, this will settle. Aura can mend it better,” Jaehyun mutters, extending his hand to help Kevin up. Kevin looks over his shoulder to find Juyeon facing a spirit, glowing with a dark purple aura. The third figure whom Kevin didn’t recognize approaches him, extending his hand as Kevin feels a rush of warmth falling over him.

“It’s not the same as the kind of aura from your own spirit, but you should be able to stand easily now,” the guy says, a gentle smile on his face. Kevin finally notices the faint pink aura around him and reasons that this must be another spirit. As Juyeon seems to be talking with his spirit, Kevin reasons this one must be Jaehyun’s.

“Kevin Moon,” Kevin introduces, nodding at the spirit. The spirit nods backs.

“Chanhee. Now go get your spirit,” Chanhee says, pushing Kevin towards the spot with the two cubes. Juyeon finally notices him, grinning from ear to ear as he gestures at his new spirit.

“Guys, meet Changmin! He’s my spirit!” Juyeon exclaims. Footsteps echo in the distance at the tail end of his exclamation, suddenly exploding into a group of warlocks as a groan is pulled out of Kevin’s throat.

“You  _ had _ to say it, didn’t you?” Kevin snarls, sarcasm dripping from his tone as he runs to grab the only other cube, surrounding the clearing in bright light as the other warlocks start to attack. 

Everyone snaps into action, starting to fend the others off as Kevin squints past the light to meet his spirit. He’s rudely interrupted by a flying boomerang about to decapitate him, Kevin ducking just in time for it to lodge into a tree nearby. He turns around, deeming the situation finally dangerous enough as he summons a pistol, starting to shoot at the incoming wave of people. Juyeon is zipping amongst them like a shadow, cutting warlock throats and elbowing them into next week as Changmin zips behind him. He has a spear, jabbing at anything and everything while his opponents seemingly strike at the air. A black cloud covers over their eyes, making the warlocks stagger and struggle, probably having a really bad time. Kevin is glad Changmin is on his side.

Jaehyun and Chanhee take on the brunt of the warlocks, ice flying everywhere as a glow of brilliant white light surrounds them both. They seem faster, stronger, more agile as warlocks practically dissipate around them in the tens. Kevin grits his teeth.

“There’s too many of them!” Kevin yells, wondering if this is how the original warlocks felt staring down hordes of Shadow creatures. He growls, dodging another projectile as he turns to shoot down two warlocks and summoning a shield to block more shots. They need to get out, but there’s nowhere to go. They need a way to decommission all of the incoming warlocks—and fast.

Suddenly, a piercing melody rings in the air, interrupting the drone of battle as soft guitar chords fill the air, warm and comforting. Kevin turns to the source of the sound to find a beautiful boy leaning against the tree, strumming a guitar as he hums some unknown melody. His hair is a soft shade of brown, bangs barely out of his pretty chocolate-brown eyes as his red and whiter hoodie flutters in the wind, a gentle look to his perfect features as he turns to Kevin. He mimes something in his ears between chords, sending a message as Kevin startles back to reality. He turns to his friends, creating small earplugs for everyone as he watches the other warlocks start to recompose themselves. The spirit opens his mouth, singing something that doesn’t reach Kevin’s ears as he watches warlocks suddenly slump over onto the ground, chests rising and falling evenly. Kevin gapes at the spirit, who closes his mouth and gestures at his ears again. Kevin dissipates the hologram, the final notes of the guitar ringing in his ears as he just… stares.

“They won’t be asleep for long,” the spirit says, voice every bit the gentle and beautiful sound Kevin imagined when he first saw him, “let’s get a move on.”

“Oh! Um, yeah,” Kevin mumbles dumbly, blinking rapidly. Loud snickering echoes behind him, snapping Kevin back to reality as he flushes.

“What’s your name?” Juyeon asks from across the field, staring at the spirit. Oh right. Names. That’s an important thing.

“I’m Jacob,” he (oh my god even his  _ name _ is beautiful what the heck) says, smiling. Kevin’s knees buckle just a little.

“Okay, hi Jacob,” Jaehyun takes over, sidling up next to Kevin as he places his palm on Kevin’s shoulder, “this is your warlock, Kevin Moon.”

Jacob smiles again, brighter than every star in the sky and Kevin’s heart just starts hammering at a million miles per hour. “Hi,” Kevin squeaks, voice ridiculously high-pitched. Why is he like this? Who knows. Jacob extends his hand out for a handshake.

“Hi! I look forward to working with you!”

Yeah. Kevin is fucked.

“I’m telling you, I don’t know where he went! He just like, bolted!” Sunwoo exclaims, ducking under a tree branch as he narrowly dodges a flash of energy. Eric is by his side, electricity zapping a nearby pursuer as he grits his teeth, expression morphing into confusion.

“What do you mean he just bolted?!” Eric asks, shooting his electricity at a nearby warlock and paralyzing them for possibly the next ten minutes. Someone tries to charge at them, a gigantic blade raised. Sunwoo grits his teeth, skidding to a stop as he extends his palms, creating a transparent barrier to hold a bit of damage before he keeps running.

“I mean, he just bolted! Took one look at me trying to defend him and just booked it! What am I to do then?” Sunwoo yells, jumping over a tree root as they keep running. The cube is heavy in his pocket, a target on his back with no spirit to aid him. Just his luck.

“Whatever, we’ll deal with that later then. For now, we need to find the others,” Eric rationalizes, skidding to a stop as the electricity rolling off of his body finally gathers into his hands at a ridiculous voltage. His hoverboard splits into two, turning into a gigantic slingshot as Sunwoo blocks three shots for him with a barrier. He swings his shield onto his shoulder, flicking a switch to let it transform into a rocket launcher as Eric fires a bolt of electricity powerful enough to nearly set the closest tree on fire. Sunwoo fires off his rocket a few moments later, culling their pursuers down as he turns to Eric.

“Remember what Jaehyun said, we need to head to the center of the arena,” Sunwoo heaves, catching his breath. Eric nods, turning his weapon back to a sleek, graffiti-covered hoverboard as he offers his hand. Sunwoo grabs it, standing skittishly on the board as Eric puts it into maximum speed, gliding over the forest floor as Sunwoo finally lets the situation settle in. They had found a cube, letting Sunwoo take it. A boy popped out of it, looking bored and uninterested while Sunwoo was trying to defend them all. When he looked back, the boy was gone, only a swish of a black cat’s tail behind the tree line. Sunwoo curses under his breath, glancing at the leaderboard. Jaehyun’s name is gleaming at the top, still the ace of the entire exam while Sunwoo hung around the ’30s. Eric’s is nowhere to be seen, with only three empty slots left on the board. They wasted too much time trying to chase after the cat  _ and _ run, after all.

Suddenly, an explosion rumbles on the ground beneath them, throwing Sunwoo off and into a bush while Eric, barely stabilizes, flipping into the air to dodge a giant, burly guy with rage in his eyes.

“You’ll pay for earlier!” the guy exclaims, swiping wildly at Eric as he throws explosions into the air. Eric dodges it all with practiced ease, bouncing off from branch to branch. Sunwoo growls, shifting his weapon into a shotgun as he charges at Commando Explodo, unloading a clip into him as Commando Explodo staggers backwards, visibly weak. Eric comes from behind, discharging a powerful bolt of electricity into him as the man dissipates, leaving nothing but a dent in the ground. Sunwoo breathes heavily, knees buckling as exhaustion eats at his muscles. Eric is in no better shape, leaning against a tree as he curses, punching the trunk.

“I’m not gonna make it,” Eric mumbles. Sunwoo risks a glance at the leaderboard to find only one spot remaining, the clock leaving but forty minutes left. He looks back at Eric, whose boundless positivity and energy seemed to disappear entirely, replaced by soft resignation. Sunwoo growls, pushing himself up and walks over to Eric, swinging his palm as it makes contact with Eric’s cheek, a loud sound echoing through the woods.

“Wake up, fighter, you’re not down for the count yet. We’ve still got forty minutes,” Sunwoo growls, grabbing him by the wrist as they break into a run again. Eric yelps, staggering into his hold as they charge through the forest, nothing but sheer will keep their legs moving. Eric catches up to Sunwoo’s side soon, a grateful grin on his lips as he looks at Sunwoo.

“Thanks,” Eric mumbles. Sunwoo smiles back.

“Always.”

As it turns out, they get attacked again.

Eric is heaving, pain shooting up the side of his body as he rolls into a nearby stump. The girl they’re facing is too powerful, a distinctive surge of power in her aura as she walks over to Sunwoo, chuckling as she reaches for his pocket. Eric scowls. She can’t take it! They’ve been defending it for nearly an hour!

“It was fun meeting you boys,” the girl tsks, bending down to reach for the cube. Sunwoo is practically unconscious, mere moments away from dissipating and Eric can’t even muster any electricity to shoot her. No. They can’t go down like this.

“I think I’ll take this,” the girl sing songs, digging through Sunwoo’s pocket. Just as she wraps her perfectly manicured nails around the cube, a sudden holographic hammer barrel into her side, knocking the girl against a tree as a dagger follows, stabbing into her chest before the girl could even scream. Eric wants to yell in joy, peeking his eyes open to see Kevin, Juyeon and Jaehyun slide in. They’re flanked by three spirits, all with glowing auras. One claps his pairs of curved blades together, morphing it into a ukelele of sorts as he starts to strum it. Another drops by Eric’s side, spirit aura flooding his senses and knitting Eric’s body back together. The melody is magical, seemingly becoming flesh to replace those burnt in the fights before. Before long, Eric can stand again, albeit shakily. Sunwoo regains consciousness, leaning against Jaehyun for support as Juyeon looks around, confused.

“Where’s the spirit? Sunwoo’s on the leaderboard,” Juyeon asks, turning to Eric. A pink-haired spirit helps him up, gently lending his aura to him as Eric coughs out a spot of blood.

“He ran. Just saw Sunwoo defending him and booked it,” Eric repeats, heaving as he feels bile bubbling at the back of his throat. Kevin and Juyeon exchange a look, a silent agreement passing between them as he walks over to Eric, opening his palm.

“We’ll find him. For now, you need an aura from your own spirit. Here,” Kevin says, handing him a small black cube. Eric sucks in a breath.

“But how…” Eric mumbles. Kevin just grins.

“People forget these can be under rocks, too. This one was an easy find,” Kevin explains. Eric nods, taking the cube in his hands and watching in wonder as it unfurls. The blast of light from the cube sinks into his body, rejuvenating him as Eric feels his lungs clear for the first time in four hours. His muscles lose their ache, finally revived as the light dims down to reveal a boy about his age, with a bright smile a giant hammer swung over his shoulder.

“Took you a while,” he says and Eric almost cries. His name finally lights up at the bottom of the leaderboard, the sky turning a bright shade of orange as the announcer’s voice comes back.

“All spirits have been released. Thirty minutes remaining. Good hunting, warlocks,” she says, voice monotone as a giant countdown clock appears over the arena. Eric glances back at his spirit, trying to manage a grin.

“I’m Eric,” he says, extending his hand for a handshake. The spirit takes it, his smile brightening as his cherry red hair flutters in the wind.

“Haknyeon, a pleasure to meet you,” the spirit says. Footsteps echo around them, a telltale sign of an attack as Eric flinches, about to go back into fighting mode when Haknyeon raises his hammer into the sky. A blast of fire is hurled at them, followed by waves and waves of magic and projectiles. Haknyeon creates a swirl in the air, sucking it all up before turning to Eric with a grin, pushing magic into him. All of a sudden, a whole new level of electricity sparkles at his fingertips, now a peculiar shade of white and light blue. Eric startles, staring at Haknyeon in disbelief.

“Energy Redirection’s the name, and charging you up’s the aim. Go get them!” Haknyeon yells, channelling even more energy into Eric. Besides him, Kevin pulls everyone into a tight circle and rises a barrier, followed by a wall of ice from Jaehyun as Eric grins, slamming his fists together. Electricity, no, lightning crackles in the air, shocking anything and everything within a 100-meter radius, even burning down a nearby tree. Before he has time to even register what he’d just done, a new wave of warlocks jump at him, ready to attack. Panic flashes through Eric’s eyes. Of course, others had plans to dodge the attack as well!

Eric stares at the incoming wave of magic in fear, knowing that no matter how powerful Haknyeon might be, he can’t possibly nullify all of that energy. Still, the lump in Eric’s throat soothes as he slides his foot back, crackling energy in fingertips as he stares at the wave with a challenge in his smile. Renewed energy and positivity buzz at his beck and call, ready to face the world as Eric summons every last ounce of his energy.

“Come at me!” Eric yells, wild excitement in his eyes.

After all, they only need to last for thirty long minutes.


	5. 9 Gays Versus Perfectly Toned Abs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Act 2: The Entrance Exams

Chanhee’s heart is hammering in his ears when the impact lands.

He’s a part of the backline, slinking away in the protection of the others as they fire anything and everything they’ve got at the wave. Heck, even Changmin managed to heave a boulder at it with Juyeon’s help, even if the rock was shattered into pieces almost immediately.

“We can’t stay put, we’re too easy of a target!” Jaehyun yells, pushing up his ice once again to block an explosion. He’s taken up a pseudo-leader role within their group, shouting orders and flanks for them to take between fighting himself. Close quarter warlocks start to approach them, starting to hurl themselves in an attempt to steal a special little cube. Chanhee’s blood roars in his ears as he pushes his magic to its limits, channelling every last bit of superhuman juice he has into his teammates. It makes him a sitting duck, sure, but it’s his best contribution by far.

From his perch, he sees Haknyeon and Sunwoo covering their ranged attacks, absorbing and deflecting as much as they can to nullify the out of range threats. Changmin is their own counterattack, spear shifted into a sniper gun as he sniffs out the enemy backlines. Juyeon, Jaehyun and Eric handle their close quarters, going shoulder to shoulder with warlocks twice their size. Jacob stands behind them all, playing melodies after melodies to keep the enemies sluggish and sleepy. Kevin’s earplugs prevent communication within the team, but there seems to be some odd, seamless synergy between them all. Chanhee doesn’t question it, just feels infinite gratitude for it. The man himself, Kevin Moon is almost nowhere to be seen, darting back and forth between back to front lines and even fighting against ranged fighters while he sets up shields after shields to protect Chanhee and Jacob. At some point, the warlocks start to slow down, letting Chanhee sneak a glance at the countdown clock in the sky. Five minutes. Only five more minutes.

Chanhee inhales, channelling as much magic as his lithe body would allow and sends it towards Eric, who just received another boost from Haknyeon. He slams his hand into the nearest warlock, paralyzing another series for the rest of the exam before Juyeon takes over and slices through those immune or resistant to Eric’s attacks. Changmin joins them at some point, plunging everyone but the team in a 100-meter radius into a dark nightmare. Chanhee redirects his boost to Changmin, knowing nightmares are their best delay for now. Another glance. Three minutes.

Gritting his teeth, Chanhee grabs Jacob’s hand as soon as Changmin’s nightmares start to lose efficiency. The sonic blast knocks everyone in the vicinity to the ground, lying helpless as a soothing melody takes over to plunge them into a deep sleep. It’s so loud, even, that Chanhee almost hears the tune through his earplugs because of how close he is to Jacob. Another glance. Two minutes. Jacob’s song is weakening.

Jaehyun meets Chanhee’s eyes from across the battlefield, gesturing at the incoming wave of stirring warlocks. Chanhee nods, sending Jaehyun what little left of his magic as a giant blossom of ice explodes in every direction, skewering tens of warlocks in its path as the clock hits one minute.

_ 50 seconds _ .

Juyeon has run out of steam, moving slower as Chanhee tries his best to boost him up again. He’s almost out of magic himself, though.

_ 30 seconds _ .

Haknyeon can’t absorb anymore and Sunwoo is back to being near unconscious, slumping over as the warlocks start to attack with heavier intensity.

_ 20 seconds _ .

Chanhee is out of magic, no longer able to hold it up anymore. Everyone has switched to the offensive now, jabbing and swinging in any way they can.

_ 10 seconds _ .

They’re forced back into a tight circle of nine, backs to backs as the others just keep coming. Jaehyun lets off one last blockade, buying them another second.

_ 5 seconds _ .

Someone yells in pain next to Chanhee, fallen over. Chanhee slides over to take his place, pushing them back but his muscles ache too much. It’s too much.

_ 3 _

Someone else collapses, too tired to keep moving.

_ 2 _

Chanhee doesn’t care, just keeps on fighting.

_ 1 _

They can’t lose.

_ 0 _

They don’t lose.

Not like this.

Honestly, if there was a movie or a manga about this year’s team selection exam, this moment would be the climax at the end of the film.

Younghoon gapes in awe as he watches his newly formed team fend off waves after waves of warlocks. The initial blast was arguably the most intense, a blast of pure magic targeted at them. In a combination of holograms, projected barriers, lightning, sonic blasts, ice walls and super-powered miniature black holes, the blast was deflected like it was nothing, the entire team moving like a well-oiled machine. Warlocks are dissipating left and right, not holding a candle against the true power of a united team. No other group had met up with their teammates so far, TBZ showing the world their potential as their body counts slowly reached one hundred. Next to Younghoon, Sangyeon is grinning like a madman, beaming at the five faces and profiles on their tablet, the whole team finalized. The countdown clock has but one minute left, ticking down into the final seconds as Younghoon grips the edge of his chair, pride swelling in his chest. He picked right.

His first choice was obvious and it had been down to Younghoon’s quick searching skills to nab up Lee Jaehyun, the team’s ace. The raw power of his magic was simply unmatched, backed up with keen intelligence and a surprising amount of creativity. Sure, it might also have to do with the fact that Younghoon recognized him almost immediately, almost screaming at the screen when he saw his childhood best friend in the arena. Younghoon is going to  _ slap _ him later.

After that, Younghoon had simply placed his faith in Jaehyun’s own choices. Lee Juyeon and Kevin Moon are irreplaceable pickups, each a rank within each other and proving that they’re more than capable of holding their own. More than that, they have a synergy unmatched by any other pair, save for Sunwoo and Eric, able to work off of each other in unpredictable ways. Younghoon wonders if they knew each other closely before today.

Younghoon thought hope had been lost when Sunwoo’s spirit ran away from him, an unruly spirit who had lost his warlock on the field a few years back. He was back in the selection pool this year, but Younghoon should’ve known the spirit wasn’t going to cooperate. Then Eric and Sunwoo were chased for nearly two hours, tiring them both out to the point of no return as Sunwoo’s cube was almost stolen. Younghoon had stood up at that point, too nervous and worried not even Sangyeon’s hissed ‘sit down’ could reach him. At the very last moment, the others had found them, and it was like relief slapped Younghoon’s face. He collapsed into his chair, the tablet automatically registering the final warlock on his team—Eric Sohn.

“They did it,” Younghoon breathes, watching with relief and joy screaming in his veins as the countdown clock glares a 00:00:00 at him. Sangyeon stands up too, holding up the tablet as he inspects the team, a smile on his face.

“Quite a team you’ve assembled for us, Hoon,” Sangyeon mutters, starting to look through their profiles, “we’ve got our work cut out for us. Especially with a runaway spirit.”

Younghoon grins. “They still did it,” he breathes, watching as the team yells in joy and wraps each other in tight hugs.

“Yes,” Sangyeon says, smiling through his words, “Yes they did.”

The next few days are much more uneventful. Younghoon is bogged down with paperwork and registration logistics, from passive-aggressively arguing with Kevin’s mother that no, she cannot have him bring in a whole grand piano, to running down to the store no less than seven times a day because they kept on running out of soundproof padding for the house. Most of the spirits had returned with their new warlocks back home to meet their families and discuss contract details before finalizing them and sending them Younghoon’s way. The only non-contracted spirit is Sunwoo’s who is still nowhere to be found. In the brief moment Younghoon met him on his way out of the Academy again, he swore he would do everything in his power to find Sunwoo’s pesky spirit. Sunwoo, on the other hand, just looked defeated and tired.

Sadly, no Changmin and Chanhee are around to keep Younghoon’s days fun for nearly a week, off galavanting with the Aristocracy and flying to America for a party while Younghoon’s stuck filling out forms. Sangyeon and Younghoon moved into the team house about four days after the Team Selection exams, settling down and moving furniture for three whole days. Somehow, Younghoon prefers the paperwork.

By the time the week ends and the school has sent a notice about the opening ceremony, the house is buzzing with activity as Younghoon and Sangyeon spend their morning blowing up balloons and buying a cake from a nearby store. He’s vibrating with anticipation, a tube of party streamers in his hands as he stares out the bay window of their three-story house, trying to spot the first guest. The car blocks them off, but Younghoon can clearly see Haknyeon pulling something down from the top of the car and runs out to the living room with near-hyper energy.

“They’re here!” he exclaims, gently shaking the giant panda in the middle of foyer awake. Sangyeon shifts back into human form as he rubs his eyes, a gentle smile on his face. Before Younghoon can say anything, the doorbell rings. He jumps.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Sangyeon drawls, voice raspy and sleepy, gesturing at the door. “Welcome our new teammates!”

Younghoon nods, running towards the door as he swings it open, popping off the streamers as soon as he sees the others. Eric is the first to jump him, wrapping him in a hug as he yells in excitement, greetings and ‘Long time no see’s exchanged briefly. Sunwoo comes in after, lugging a gigantic suitcase Younghoon has to help him lug while Haknyeon carries the rest of Eric’s bags inside. Chanhee is the next face to pop up, much to Younghoon’s delight. He wraps his spirit friend in a tight hug as ‘I miss you’s and ‘it’s been too long’s are exchanged. A week is a long time when Younghoon practically spent six years glued to the hip with Chanhee and Changmin. With a soft peck on his cheek, Chanhee drags a suitcase inside too, calming the kids down before they all run wild.

Which leaves Jaehyun.

“So…” Jaehyun begins awkwardly, scratching the back of his head, “long time no see?”

Younghoon rolls his eyes, the fight draining out of him as he opens his arms, welcoming the childhood friend he hasn’t seen in a decade and a half into his arms, smiling impossibly wide.

“Long time no see,” Younghoon whispers back. He’s taller than Jaehyun now, no longer the runty kid next to a towering beanpole in his growth spurt. Younghoon giggles at that, taking the opportunity to ruffle up Jaehyun’s hair, drawing a yelp from Jaehyun.

“Aigoo~ little Hyunjae has grown up so much, hasn’t he?” Younghoon teases, dropping his voice a few tones lower into baby talk as Jaehyun’s expression darkens.

“You don’t look too shabby yourself, Bbanghoon,” Jaehyun retorts, pulling away from the hug to drag his luggage in. Younghoon grins, ducking down to help Jaehyun pick up a heavy cardboard box.

“Youngjae’s mangas?” Younghoon asks, heaving as he carries the box inside. Jaehyun nods.

“His and Sunwoo. I left mine at home,” Jaehyun explains. Younghoon laughs between heavy breaths, heaving it into the living room.

“Good for you. I’ll show you to your room while the kids run wild,” Younghoon says, glancing at the living room to see Sangyeon giving him a panicked look. Younghoon just grins back. If there’s one thing more terrifying than Shadow Legions, it’s Kim Sunwoo and Eric Sohn on a sugar spree.

“Am I on the second floor?” Jaehyun asks when they approach the stairs. Younghoon hums an affirmative, stepping onto the spiralling staircase that curves along the back of the house. Jaehyun is staring at the dangling lights with mild wonder, admiring the fancy furniture everywhere.

“School’s got quite a budget, doesn’t it?” Jaehyun mutters. Younghoon laughs, setting down the box of mangas in the room closest to the stairs before straightening and turning to Jaehyun.

“Your room’s on the opposite end. Just thought I’d let Youngjae bother someone else in his midnight excitement sprees,” Younghoon explains, to which Jaehyun gives him a grateful smile.

“Yeah. If anything, he’s gotten even more annoying as he grew up,” Jaehyun jokes, rolling his suitcase into the room in the corner of the second floor. He opens it to find a sprawling bedroom with a decent sized double tucked in the corner of the room, a small walk-in closet to the side and a desk tucked by the window. A door to the side of the room connects to a shared bathroom between him and what will be Jacob, decorated with a cute sign with a bear holding a board with the letters ‘WC’ on them. It was cute when Younghoon saw it online. It’s even cuter in real life.

“This is nicer than I expected,” Jaehyun muses, plopping down onto his bed. Younghoon grins at him.

“Only the best for TBZ! Sangyeon pulled out all the seniority credentials he could for this one,” Younghoon laughs, walking over to join Jaehyun on sprawling all over the bed.

“Where are you staying?” Jaehyun asks, breaking the silence that had briefly fallen on them.

“In the room directly above you. I’m floormates with Changminnie, Chanhee and Juyeon,” Younghoon explains. Jaehyun nods, before a brief flash of worry flashes over his face.

“Who do I get then? Please don’t tell me you put Eric  _ and _ Sunwoo up here. I might cry,” Jaehyun rambles, sitting up. Younghoon snorts.

“Please, I saw your panicked email. Jacob, Kevin and Eric are up here, and Haknyeon, Sunwoo and Sangyeon are downstairs. Don’t worry, I took the possible noise complaint as a factor for floor distribution,” Younghoon explains, reassuring Jaehyun. Before they could continue, the sound of the doorbell interrupted them. Faster than he could blink, Younghoon scrambles out of the room, rushing down the stairs as Jaehyun follows, hot on his tail as they spot the next pair coming in. Younghoon spots Changmin almost immediately, running and tackling him in a tight hug as his exclamation of ‘Minnie!’ drowned out the other greetings. Changmin braces himself for impact, staggering backwards slightly as he holds up Younghoon like a tree begrudgingly holding up a giant koala. He pats Younghoon’s back.

“Missed me?” Changmin asks, grinning into his words. Younghoon grins back.

“Missed you.”

They help Juyeon and Changmin unpack, as well as show Eric his room in the next hour. Jaehyun and Chanhee volunteer for dinner duty, scouring through the freshly-stocked fridge to make dinner while everyone else explores the house. By the time the doorbell rings again, Haknyeon and Eric have already started dipping their fingers into the cold April pool water. Juyeon is the one to answer the door while Younghoon yells for the others to come and greet their last members, the only thing left of Juyeon after Kevin and Jacob’s attack being a lump on his head and tuft of blue hair as they passive-aggressively tackle hug Juyeon. Changmin ends up digging him out while the rest exchange introductions and greetings, Younghoon taking the role to show them to their rooms. He notices their intertwined pinkies at one point, dragging suitcases up the stairs and pulls Kevin aside while Jacob unpacks.

“Are you two…?” Younghoon asks, gesturing vaguely with his hands. Kevin flushes.

“No! It’s not like that!” Kevin denies vehemently, confirming the exact opposite of what he wanted. Younghoon smiles.

“Your secret is safe with me if you help out with dinner,” Younghoon proposes good-naturedly. Kevin sighs in relief, nodding along.

“Sure. I make some mean kimchi soup,” Kevin retorts, ducking into his room to unpack as Younghoon grins. He flitters around, floating from room to room to help unpack. Sometimes it’s hanging up a whole fashion show worth of clothes. Sometimes it’s stacking books in the back shelves built-in to the room. Heck, he even helps set up a canvas and easel set, nearly tripping over a bucket of oil colours. There’s a feeling in his heart that Younghoon can’t quite place, a cross between contentment and anticipation. He’s bouncing up and down the house, boundless energy not going unnoticed by all. Sangyeon grins at him from the couch when he sees Younghoon setting up Sunwoo’s Playstation, somewhat of a fatherly look.

“Someone’s excited,” he notes. Younghoon just shoots him a light-hearted grin.

“How could I not be? It’s finally happening,” Younghoon exclaims, throwing his arms around wildly. Sangyeon laughs.

“It really is, isn’t it?”

They decided to do contract ceremonies that night. Sitting around the pool deck, Sangyeon acts as the ceremony master while the others form the ritual circle with some salt, wax candles and some homemade kimchi soup as a binding agent. Juyeon had volunteered to go first, Changmin begrudgingly dragged from his spot of Younghoon’s lap to sit in the ritual circle. With a set of seals from the Board of Warlocks and the Council of Spirits, the contract is written and splayed out between the two. Juyeon gulps, shaking with anxiety when he meets Changmin’s eyes, the fact finally hitting him that it’s really happening. He’s forming a contract.

“Through the power invested in me by those holding the seats of governance, I hereby decree this contract as valid. You may take the binding agent, but be aware that the moment you consume the agent, you will be bound to this contract for life,” Sangyeon announces, gesturing for Younghoon to slide two bowls of kimchi soup into the circle. Juyeon tries not to laugh. With the calmest hands he could muster, Juyeon downs the soup, feeling Kevin’s slightly over-salted kimchi soup run down his throat. Magic suddenly hums in his veins, awakening senses Juyeon never knew existed as he feels his magic ebbing and flowing through his body freely as if a dam had been broken inside of him. He opens his eyes to meet Changmin’s gaze, mirroring his excitement.

_ Wow, Kevin does make a mean kimchi soup,  _ Changmin’s voice chuckles in Juyeon’s brain. Juyeon just snorts.

_ Mean for my throat, sure _ , he jokes back, drawing a cackle from Changmin as they collapse into giggles, earning looks of confusion from their teammates.

“Telepaths,” Sunwoo mutters from the side. Chanhee nudges him.

“You’ll be the same someday,” Chanhee whispers, trying to comfort him. Sunwoo just shrugs.

Suddenly, a soft warm buzz hums at Juyeon’s side, like someone’s running their fingers on his ribs. Changmin seems to feel the same too, except on his neck as Juyeon watches a beautiful white rose etch itself onto Changmin’s neck.

_ Where’s yours? _ Changmin asks at the same time Haknyeon exclaims the same from the side. Juyeon startles, pulling his shirt up to reveal the same rose swirling under his right rib, not noticing as half of the group turned away, suddenly flushing red. Changmin gives him a look of respect, nodding as he stands up and starts moving to the pool chairs. Juyeon looks around, frowning as he meets Jaehyun’s eyes from across the pool deck.

“What?” Juyeon asks. Jaehyun squeezes his eyes shut, pinching the bridge of his nose as he glares at Juyeon.

“Nothing. Just get up,” Jaehyun mutters, standing up to take his place. Chanhee follows, and the rituals go on, a relatively uneventful process save for when Haknyeon was almost tackled into the pool because he didn’t want to show his tattoo. Valid, really, considering that the little petunias were on his thighs while Eric’s was on his hip bone. Of course, they couldn’t let opportunity pass so easily.

Jacob and Kevin have a cartoon image of a keyboard on their wrist and collarbone, respectively, while Chanhee parades his slice of red velvet cake on his ankle like it’s his baby. Jaehyun’s is on his upper arm, so it worked out nicely.

Sunwoo watches it all while sulking, a rain cloud over his head. Juyeon notices him at some point, pulling him into a cuddle while he tries to comfort Sunwoo. His spirit—Hyunjoon, according to Younghoon and the files—was a runaway who had previously lost a warlock. Perhaps he just has abandonment issues.

Whatever the case, Sunwoo gets over it enough to join in the great stripping of Haknyeon, joy bouncing off the walls of the house as the team carries their enthusiasm into the night, a silent promise shared between them all. No matter what happens, the team comes first. Juyeon has known these strangers for less than a week, with only one exception, but he honestly can’t picture himself fighting alongside anyone else.

From now on, they’re basically family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> juyeon: [breathes]  
> tbz: [gay panic]


	6. Wasabi-Filled Pancakes & Slightly Burnt Boar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Act 3: Completing the Team

Younghoon wakes up to peace.

The sun is filtering softly through the curtains, the sound of songbirds singing their good morning to him as the smell of pancakes waft through the door, despite Younghoon being on the third floor. Must be a lot of pancakes.

He throws his sheets off, rubbing at his eyes as he glances at the digital clock that’s face down on the floor, beeps muffled by the soft carpet floor before it hits him.

Ah. He swiped it off the table again.

As Younghoon sits on his bed, blearily glancing around his room, someone suddenly starts pounding at the door.

“Hyung!” Kevin’s muffled voice calls from behind the wooden door, a lilt of excitement to his tone. “You’re gonna be late for the first day!” Kevin yells.

Younghoon grumbles, falling backwards as he muffles his face with a pillow.

“I don’t even go to classes with you guys!” Younghoon yells back, trying to sleep again. The scent of pancake is strong, ridiculously so and it’s unfair because Younghoon wanted to laze around all day, not get up before 10 AM.

“But Jacob and Chanhee made pancakes!” Kevin yells back, words accenting the tingle on Younghoon’s nose. He grumbles, throwing off his sheets as he rolls off the bed, plopping onto the heavily-carpeted floor with a thud. The bed is low for this very purpose.

“Hyung?” Kevin asks again, concern lacing his tone. Younghoon fumbles for the little curtain drawstring he purposely lengthened to the floor and pulls it open, letting sunlight in and lighting up the room as he pushes himself up, groggily walking over to the bathroom door.

“I’m fine,” Younghoon calls back, hoping to drive Kevin away as he twists the handle open, rubbing at his eyes. Juyeon is standing by the mirror, toothbrush hanging out of his mouth as he shoots Younghoon a lopsided smile.

“Morning,” Juyeon greets through a mouthful of toothpaste, dripping some into the sink. Younghoon scrunches up his nose in disgust, walking over to gingerly grab his toothbrush and cup as he pats Juyeon on the back.

“Morning,” he says back, spreading a generous amount of toothpaste over his brush as he starts to clean his teeth. Juyeon spits almost at the same time, turning the tap on as Younghoon takes note of his messy bedhead, navy blue locks sticking out at odd angles as a headband is barely holding it all back. His sleep shirt is stained at the neck with what Younghoon guesses to be drool, a little short on his torso as a hint of his perfectly toned stomach peeks at Younghoon. Suddenly, Younghoon’s all too awake.

“Do I have something on my face?” Juyeon asks when he notices the red flush on Younghoon’s face. Younghoon shakes his head vigorously, turning away to brush his teeth. The entire house agrees. Lee Juyeon will be the death of them.

The shower turns on a few moments later and Younghoon bolts as soon as he’s finished brushing his teeth, more than ready to get out of the bathroom. He dresses in casual wear, throwing on a light red windbreaker Changmin got for his birthday last August, embedded with Creker Academy’s crest. It’s stuff only official academy warlocks get. Younghoon almost teared up then.

He finds Eric coming out from his room with two mismatched socks and tells him to go change, wondering how he managed to mess that up when the Academy has a uniform.

The first floor is full of chaos the moment he steps foot in it, finding Chanhee chasing Sunwoo around the living room with a frying pan screaming bloody murder while Sangyeon films the whole thing on his camera. Haknyeon is hiding behind the couch, sharing a stack of pancakes with Changmin as they watch in mild amusement. Jacob is holding a plate of half-eaten pancake in one hand, bright green paste spilling from the innards with an exasperated but amused smile on his face, and Younghoon connects the dots.

“Can’t say I’m surprised,” Jaehyun mutters from behind Younghoon, tone full of amusement. Younghoon turns to greet him with a grin.

“I’m surprised you didn’t pull off the first prank,” Younghoon points out. "You’re like the devil incarnate.”

Jaehyun snorts, a mysterious smile on his lips. “Who said Sunwoo was responsible.”

Younghoon cackles, grabbing Jacob’s attention from the kitchen, who gives them a weird look. Younghoon waves him off, sneaking by the walls towards the kitchen as he slips in, grabbing a fork from the drawer as he spots his plate of pancakes on the island. It’s even marked with the letters ‘YH’ in strawberry jam. His favourite.

“We’re gonna be late,” Jacob announces to no one in particular, biting his bottom lip in worry. Younghoon chuckles.

“Just toss Chanhee a strawberry, he’ll be fine soon. Sunwoo isn’t even responsible,” Younghoon replies, earning a glare from Jaehyun as Jacob sighs and turns around.

“I saw Jaehyun put it in, of course it wasn’t Sunwoo,” Jacob mutters, putting the plate into the sink as he gets started on the dishes. Younghoon furrows his brow.

“You knew? And you didn't stop me?” Jaehyun asks, taking the words out of Younghoon’s mouth as Jacob flashes them a mysterious smile. So the angel knows some tricks, after all.

“Was too quiet. Felt weird,” Jacob replies curtly, eliciting another cackle from Younghoon as Sunwoo yelps from the living room, desperate yelps of ‘it wasn’t me!’ ringing in the amicable air. Younghoon sighs, grinning from ear to ear as he stuffs pancakes into his mouth.

It’s going to be a great day, isn’t it?

Sunwoo has his first class with Kevin, much to his delight. He shares all of his non-role related classes with at least another member, although he’s not sure if that was planned out or anything. The other benefit being that the class about Shadow biology, which Sunwoo has a feeling Kevin is a prodigy in. He’s guessing based on the numerous textbooks Kevin brought with him. That, and how Kevin is already furiously setting up his notebook next to Sunwoo.

“Welcome to Shadow Biology 101,” the teacher announces, a short but intimidating lady with vivid purple hair and a pair of circular spectacles that mirror the ones on Kevin’s nose. They’re twinning, a small part of Sunwoo’s brain whispers.

“In this course, I will be teaching you everything you need to know to kill from the smallest and weakest of Shadows to the largest and bulkiest terrors known to man through the power of science,” the professor continues on, picking up a piece of chalk as she writes her name in big, bold letters on the board. Ms. Moon.

“Additionally, we’ll be covering Shadow migration patterns and breeding habits, as you never know what may come your way in the future,” Ms. Moon drawls, walking over to a gigantic cage she has situated on one side of the lecture hall with a giant black cloth draped over top. Sunwoo stops tapping his pencil, pursing his lips as he sits on the edge of his seat. Is she going to reveal something?

“Before we start, does anyone have any questions?” Ms. Moon calls out, watching the whole room with a keen eye. Next to Sunwoo, Kevin shoots his hand up, short of pushing up his glasses to look like one of those anime protagonists with his near-grim expression.

“Yes, Mr…” the professor drawls, gesturing at him. Kevin smiles, now pushing up his glasses. Someone nearby glares and rolls his eyes at Kevin, snickering to a girl next to him. Sunwoo glares at them.

“Kevin. Kevin Moon,” Kevin announces, putting down his hand. "Are we going to be facing any real life examples in this class, or is it strictly theoretical?”

Ms. Moon smiles at him, walking to the side of the cage as she grips the black cloth, yanking it off in one swift motion as the class draws a collective gasp.

“I’m glad you asked, Kevin,” the professor proclaims proudly, eyeing the class with a glint in her eyes. The cage next to her houses a gigantic Shadow the size of five Younghoons, the tallest guy Sunwoo knows, and with the shape of a wild boar with mysterious sigils on its side. It’s covered in a layer of what looks like stone armour, tufts of fur sticking out from its giant forehead as long, hard tusks sticking out from its mouth.

Sunwoo won’t lie, he’s a little scared.

“This,” the professor announces. "Is the wild European Shadow Boar. Covered in armour all over its body, it’s known for being able to destroy even the sturdiest of blockades. Long ago, there was a bounty for these beasts, granting thousands to those who slay it, bringing back its tusks as a gift. Now, you’d be severely unlucky if you encounter one on the battlefield. Would anyone like to tell me about its attack pattern?”

Before Sunwoo can react, a hand shoots up from across the room, belonging to a freckled girl with black square glasses and pigtails framing her face. Is it a smart people thing to wear glasses? Maybe it’s the secret.

“Yes, Ms…” Ms. Moon perks up, turning to her with a wide smile. The girl beams.

“Yuri,” the girl calls out, pointing her fountain pen at the boar. "The Boar attacks mostly by charging at its opponents repeatedly. Because of its thick hide and minimal exposure of sensitive spots, it’s not afraid of anyone trying to go toe to toe with it. If anything, that makes its charges all the more intense.”

Ms. Moon nods and Sunwoo can feel Kevin sigh next to him. Sunwoo just gapes, snapping out of his haze when he sees Kevin tapping at his page, gaze intent.

“Note it down, it could be useful,” Kevin whispers. Sunwoo nods, scrambling for his notes as he draws a haphazard diagram of the boar, labelling and writing down what he can.

“Thank you, Yuri. Now, would anyone like to demonstrate for us how to slay it?” Ms. Moon asks, suddenly instilling fear into the class. For a brief moment, silence falls on the class as not even the smart girl from earlier tries to stand out. Ms. Moon frowns.

“Theory is useless without practice,” she drawls, scanning the class for any hint of a raised hand. Sunwoo glances at Kevin, who’s already written paragraphs on his page, now eyeing the boar as if figuring out everything about it. Sunwoo sighs, kneeing him under the table and making Kevin flinch, arm raising for the slightest second.

“Kevin! So nice of you to volunteer for us!” Ms. Moon exclaims joyfully, beckoning him forwards. Kevin tries to stammer his way out of it, only to earn another knee to the shin from Sunwoo. He winces, glaring at Sunwoo before standing up, defeated. Sunwoo flashes him a big grin and a thumbs up, confident Kevin can beat the living daylight out of that monster. He did throw a giant hammer to save Sunwoo once. There is nothing but respect in Sunwoo’s gaze for Kevin as he walks down the lecture hall, firing his projection bracelets to life. Ms. Moon stands aside, pressed to the board as she clicks something as a little remote, opening the gate. She also pulls out a rapier from her waist, should anything go wrong. Kevin turns to glare at Sunwoo again.

“I’ll be walking you through the boar as Kevin graciously demonstrates for us, so take notes,” Ms. Moon announces, waving her rapier at the board as the piece of chalk flies up and starts writing. Sunwoo scrambles for his pen, sparing glances at Kevin as he crouches into a ready stance. The boar roars, stepping onto the stage in the middle of the lecture hall, smoke billowing from its thick nostrils.

“The European Shadow boar has three main weapons in its arsenal,” Ms. Moon begins as the boar charges at Kevin, tusks aimed at him. Kevin, drops to a slide between its legs, dodging the initial attack as the boar hits some kind of invisible barrier. The same kind back in the arena, Sunwoo realizes.

“Its tusk, which is used for impaling and skewering its opponents.”

Kevin creates some kind of rope, tying up the boar’s husk as he tightens with his fists, brow furrowed as the tusks pull together into a cone of sorts. The boar roars in pain, revving up its legs as it begins to charge again, slamming into another invisible wall as Kevin jumps over it, landing on its back.

“Its powerful roar, which can tear a human body apart in the right range.”

Kevin summons two more pieces of rope, wrapping around each horn as they tie around the boar’s legs, tripping it as he jumps off, gracefully tucking into a roll as the boar rolls again, spinning around like a roly-poly as it huffs out more smoke. Ms. Moon smiles.

“And its fiery breath, which can burn through almost anything,” she finishes, tapping her chalk on the board as the boar bellows fire, only for the super-fiery blast to bounce off of its tusk and right back at the boar, lighting it up like a firework as a piece of its sturdy armor cracks. Kevin charges, driving a sword he summoned into the boar as it howls in pain, dissipating into a million specks of dust. Kevin starts panting, snapping his fingers to get rid of the holograms as he turns to the teacher and bows ninety degrees. Ms. Moon smiles, waving him off as the class erupts in applause, even the snickering pair from before. Sunwoo whistles, whipping his arm in the air as he grins. Kevin seems to flush at the attention, quickly running up the lecture hall’s stairway as Ms. Moon returns to the center of the room, rattling off facts and information as the class snaps back to attention. When Kevin returns, a little out of breath, he pulls at Sunwoo’s ear and makes him stifle a yelp.

“Don’t ever do that again,” Kevin mutters under his breath. Sunwoo grins.

“You looked awesome, dude.”

And boy oh boy, did he look awesome.

See, Eric knows the class is called Traps and Dungeons, and probably for good reason, but no amount of logical deduction could ever lead him to conceive he’d be stuck in a room slowly filling up with water with no escape and only ten minutes to find a way out. A test, Mr. Kim Doyoung says, to gauge the class’s abilities. Ridiculous! Mr. Kim can suck it up!

“We need to find some way to stop the water from filling up!” Someone, one of the unlucky bunch in Eric’s class, yells. The whole class is screaming and flailing, already panicking as they scramble to higher ground, jumping on chairs, tables and bookcases. Juyeon is pressed against Eric’s back, glancing around the room for any way to escape. His calm presence somehow carries an aura of confidence Eric could never match. For now, Eric could only try to keep calm and not show how badly he’s panicking on the inside.

“Don’t panic,” Juyeon mutters. Eric squeaks.

“I’m not. At least, not that much. I don’t look like I’m panicking, right?” Eric rambles in a high pitch voice, trying to keep away from the water. He’s like a human plug socket. Water is the last thing he wants to be in contact with.

“I think the water is coming from under that desk over there,” Juyeon mutters, jabbing his thumb at a wooden block in the middle of the room. Eric nods, already wading over to it. The water is already at his ankles, socks wettening. It’s so annoying, he thinks.

“Help me move it?” Eric proposes, grabbing on one end of the desk. Juyeon nods, counting to three before pushing it over to the side. Water starts pouring out faster, the clock on the wall ticking down faster than before. The other students screech and start to yell at them.

“What are you doing?!”

“Put it back!”

“Oh my god we’re so screwed just get me out of here!”

The little piece of paper the teacher gave them earlier is heavy in Eric’s pant pocket, ready to be crushed and teleport him out of the room but he bites his lips. No. He can’t give up yet.

“Look, there’s something around the hole!” Juyeon points out, getting down to his knees and squinting at it.

“I can’t make out what it says, the water’s distorting everything,” he mutters. The sound of paper being crushed and students popping out echoes around the room, catching Eric’s attention as he looks to those on higher ground. One of them is standing on a table, which gives Eric an idea. Before Juyeon can question him, Eric wades over to the nearest chair and grabs it, trying not to think about how the water has already reached his knees as he wades back, holding the back end of the chair into the water and blocking the flow for a small section, squinting at the words engraved on it.

“‘The three fragments of the key lies on the tallest peak, the deepest hole and the strongest weapon of all. Find them, and the sky gate will be unlocked with your wit.’,” Eric reads, turning the chair around the edge of the well-like structure. He frowns.

“Tallest peak… one of the bookcases?” Eric wonders aloud. Juyeon shakes his head.

“Too obvious, I don’t think so,” Juyeon mutters, looking around the room. Their eyes land almost simultaneously on the painting on the backside of the room, depicting rolling landscapes of Nepal in the old world, before it was run over by Shadows. The tallest peaks…

“There!” Eric exclaims, pointing at the painting. Juyeon is a step faster, teleporting to it as he pries the painting off. Another student seems to get what he’s doing, helping him lift the painting off as she pulls out an envelope from under it. They rip it open to find a circular gear with a bronze coating over it. Only five other students remain, all exclaiming in excitement as they turn to Eric.

“What’s the other stuff?” Someone yells. Eric repeats the passage, watching as they all scramble to the bookcases. Knowledge, he realizes belatedly, is power. It must be a book.

“What about the hole?” Juyeon asks teleporting back to Eric’s side as he hands him the gear. Eric pockets it in his shirt pocket along with his surrender paper, watching as the water starts to reach his waist. They don’t have much time.

“It must be the well,” Eric mutters, eyeing the giant hole in the middle of the room with suspicion. Juyeon frowns.

“But how are we going to get something from down there?” Juyeon asks. Eric sighs, trying to squint into the hole. There was a little black box at the very bottom, chained down and very unreachable. Juyeon can’t just grab it.

“Jump on a table, I’m gonna try something,” Eric mutters, pushing him away as he lets electricity run through his body. Juyeon complies, jumping to safety as Eric forms two strands of electricity, directing the majority of the voltage into the well as he blasts the chains off. The chest starts to float then as Eric pulls back all of his electricity into his fingertips. Juyeon grins when the box floats to the surface, plucking it out of the water as he unlocks it, finding another circular gear. He looks up, inspecting the ceiling for the first time as Eric follows suit. It’s full of a bunch of large gears, Eric realizes, missing a few in-between. He grins, pulling out his gear from earlier.

“Go put them in,” Eric says, shoving it into Juyeon’s arms. Juyeon nods, teleporting upwards to install the gears as someone screeches from the side of the room and goes poof. Eric turns to it, panicked.

“The water got to his paper!” Someone else yells, panic returning.

“There’s nothing in these books!” Another guy screams, throwing a book into the water as he pulls out his paper, crushing it. Everyone else moans in frustration. Eric grits his teeth, wading to the nearest bookcase to help search. There’s simply too many books!

“Maybe we need to find a certain kind of book?” Eric mumbles to himself, scanning the titles for something Mr. Kim would read. Juyeon pops by his side a moment later, breathing heavily from clinging onto the ceiling.

“Or maybe it’s not even a book?” Juyeon suggests, looking around the room again. Eric frowns.

“But then what is the greatest weapon of all?” Eric questions, brow furrowed in confusion. Juyeon grins, eyes lighting up as he grabs Eric’s hand, teleporting them back to the center of the room. No one is left, all poofing out as the timer glare at them. The water is up to their shoulders now, about to drown them as Juyeon points to the circle of words.

“We’re in an escape room,” he points out. "In these kind of places, there’s something even more powerful than knowledge—wit!”

Eric frowns.

“Where are we going to get that?” Eric exclaims, eyeing the room. Juyeon smiles, cheshire-like as he dives into the water. They can’t stand anymore, water pushing Eric up to the point where he has to brace the ceiling with one hand. Juyeon is gone for nearly a whole minute, lung capacity either ridiculously impressive or he’s drowned already. Eric grits his teeth, trying to keep calm as he counts to ten. He’ll be stuck if Juyeon doesn’t come soon.

As Eric hits nine, Juyeon resurfaces, hair dripping wet as he holds the last gear up in victory. Eric gapes.

“The answer was in the riddle! ‘Escape with your wit.’!” Juyeon exclaims swimming over to the last missing gear as he slots it into place. The water engulfs both of them, forcing Eric to take a big gulp of air as he hears the machinery whirring to life, chugging along at a painfully slow pace. The clock has but 20 seconds left, about to kill them as Eric feels a familiar warmth press onto his back, Juyeon’s hand gently pulling him up and out of the water. They break for air to return to the lecture hall, sprawling wooden roof and painted dragons filling Eric with more joy and relief than he thought was possible. Mr. Kim stares at them with a satisfied grin on his face.

“Congratulations,” he announces, clapping his hands together. "For being the first in three long years to clear my challenge. You may dry off and head to lunch early.”

Eric’s pupils widen as he swims to the side of the giant pool of water in the middle of the room, pulling himself out. The rest of the students stand along the side of the room, sitting atop a chair made of ice, wrists and ankles tied to the chair. Eric frowns.

“Isn’t that torture?” he whispers to Juyeon. Juyeon just shrugs, unbuttoning and shrugging off his dress shirt to wrench it dry. Eric blinks, pink dusting his cheeks as  _ those  _ muscles come to view. Everyone agrees, Lee Juyeon is absolutely ridiculously hot.

“I wouldn’t get on Mr. Kim’s bad side,” Juyeon whispers back, putting his shirt back on as he starts to walk out of the hall. Eric follows suit, mentally slapping himself for staring as he sighs.

“I hope team training’s gonna be better than this…”

Deep down, Sunwoo should’ve known he wasn’t going to have an easy time in team training as the only one without a spirit. He’s hiding behind a piece of debris in the simulated cityscape they’re training in. Capture the flag, the teachers called it. They forgot to mention the teams could hurt each other like in the entrance exam.

“The rest of our team’s creating a diversion, we need to go!” Jaehyun yells at him, rolling behind a car as he gestures for Jacob and Changmin, who run across the street after deeming the situation safe enough. Sunwoo grits his teeth.

“Changmin, hide us in illusions as long as you can and Jacob, muffle our footsteps,” Jaehyun rattles off, looking over the debris around them to spot the bright red flag the defending team has situated in the middle of the block.

“I can try, but it doesn’t work too well against alert enemies,” Changmin explains, crouching as he leads them to the edge of the debris, purple magic starting to sparkle at his touch, coating them in a layer of darkness. Sunwoo joins them, watching in mild awe as his footsteps make no noise in contact with the pavement.

“Just get us close enough. Sunwoo, you’ll cover for me while I raise the flag up high enough for Juyeon to grab it and go, got it?” Jaehyun whispers, looking at him with intent in his eyes. Sunwoo nods shakily. His barriers won’t last long, contract-less power far inferior to the rest of them. What he would do to have his spirit by his side right now… 

“On my mark,” Jaehyun whispers as they approach the block with the flags. No one has noticed them yet, but a dozen figures scatter around the flag, guarding it. Another team on their side is guarding their own at base, hopefully for long enough for the plan to enact. They’ve already lost a bunch of people to the front line effort. Espionage is the only option.

“Get set,” Jaehyun mutters, raising his hand as his magic gathers at his fingertips. Jacob holds his guitar up, morphing it into a shield as he glances at Sunwoo with a reassuring smile.  _ You’ll be fine _ , he mouths, seemingly sensing Sunwoo’s nerves. Sunwoo gives him a weak smile, taking a deep breath.

“Go!” Jaehyun whispers aggressively, exploding out as Jacob and Sunwoo flank him, covering a massive volley of attacks as Changmin unleashes illusionary copies of himself at the other warlocks. They’re fragile, basically breaking on impact but they have the intended effect, elongating their element of surprise as Jaehyun lifts the flag into the air with a magic spire of ice, signalling Juyeon who’s hopefully hiding nearby. Sunwoo winces at the relentless attacks, feeling his barriers crack already as pain shoots up his body from the exertion. Spirits are meant to share and help dilute the recoil, but Sunwoo was alone in this one. To say the least, it hurts.

Juyeon comes teleporting in a few moments later, grabbing the flag and teleporting back towards their half of the battlefield as the defending warlocks start to chase after him, yelling in panic. Sunwoo grins, his barriers breaking at the last possible moment as he topples over, collapsing from exhaustion as Jacob barely catches him, panic in his tone.

The last things Sunwoo sees before blacking out are the celebratory firework, signalling their success as Sunwoo’s eyelids flutter close, cursing his spirit for running away in the first place.

Really, he doesn’t know if he can keep this up for four years.


	7. Friend or Foe?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Act 3: Completing the Team

Sunwoo only passed out for ten minutes from when Eric saw him again, but it was possibly the longest ten minutes of his entire life. Haknyeon is the one helping Eric drag Sunwoo back to Kevin after the battle, watching with anxiety as Kevin conjures up a bunch of fancy equipment to check on him and applies some kind of magical gel over Sunwoo’s body from his pocket, instantly waking him up. If anyone sees Eric tackling Sunwoo in the biggest hug ever, no one comments and Eric practically sags in relief when Sunwoo hugs back.

“What was that?!” Eric exclaims finally letting go when Sunwoo lets out a choked ‘ribs’. Sunwoo looks away, sheepish with the same glint in his eyes Eric has learnt means ‘I don't want to talk about it’. Eric, ever the terrible listener, simply does not comply.

“Sun, you literally just fainted on us, you can’t just—“

“Eric, drop it. He’s feeling bad enough,” Kevin cuts him off, firm in his tone as he gently pries Eric off of Sunwoo. Sunwoo hangs his head, sadness radiating off of him and Eric feels his heart shattering. This is Kim Sunwoo, undefeatable and unshakable best friend number one who always told Eric to never give up, looking like he’s on the verge of giving up.

“It’s not your fault he ran away, Sun,” Eric whispers, trying to be comforting. Sunwoo’s shoulders sag, looking up with a pained look in his eyes.

“It’ll be his fault I fail soon, then.”

Dinner is abnormally quiet, an unbearable tension in the air as no one wants to bring up the situation from earlier. Sangyeon had been there, of course, watching over the whole event down to the moment Sunwoo dropped onto the pavement. He looks around at the rest of the guys poking at their food, unwilling to make a sound as the air stays palpable. The rain is heavy and drowning outside, as if personifying the mood inside. Sunwoo isn’t even trying to look like he’s eating, staring at his potatoes as if it’ll grow cat ears at any moment. Sangyeon sighs.

It’s his role within the group to disperse bad situations and come out with a good solution, but even in his millennias of life, battle and servitude on the Spirit Council, not one moment could prepare him for the possibility of a spirit-less warlock on his team. No one has any idea what to do.

“Look, I get we’re all down right now because the possibility of the first elimination is real,” Sangyeon begins slowly, setting down his chopsticks as the table snaps to attention. Even Sunwoo, dejected and defeated look in his eyes and all.

“I’ll tell the school to double their efforts to look for Hyunjoon, but even if we find him—“

“When we find him,” Haknyeon interrupts, the only one not facing Sangyeon as he stares outside the window. Sangyeon nods.

“Yes, when we find him. We can’t be sure he’ll cooperate. At this point, all we can do is try to stick Sunwoo in the safest positions possible and stall until I can find him a new spirit,” Sangyeon explains. From his left side, three chairs down, Kevin frowns.

“Aren’t spirits supposed to be chosen and choose the warlock at the same time? That was like, the whole point of the exam, no?” Kevin asks. Sangyeon watches as Sunwoo’s shoulder droops.

“He didn’t choose me, that’s for sure,” Sunwoo mumbles. Next to him, Jacob rubs his arms, trying to instill a bit of comfort into Sunwoo.

“We’ll have to make do, I think. Hyunjoon doesn’t seem very cooperative,” Sangyeon concludes. A glass sets down on the table, full of quiet rage.

“Who is he to just run away like that?” Chanhee exclaims, anger laced in his tone. Younghoon covers Chanhee’s hands with his, squeezing it as a gesture of comfort. Sangyeon grimaces.

“I don’t know,” he says simply. "All I know is that he lost his previous warlock and was returned to the pool. Nothing else,” Sangyeon explains. Out of the corner of his eyes, he sees Haknyeon biting his bottom lip, looking like he wanted to say something.

“Why’d he go back into the pool if he didn’t want to have a warlock anyway?” Chanhee counters, anger flaring up his neck. Before he can explode, Haknyeon sighs loudly, catching everyone’s attention.

“I made him do it,” Haknyeon mutters, sounding downright miserable. Chanhee turns to him, looking ready to stab the poor guy and Sangyeon extends out his magic, soothing Chanhee’s nerves and glaring at him to put the butter knife down.

“Why don’t you explain, Haknyeon?” Sangyeon says, trying to remain a calm tone. Haknyeon bites his bottom lip, looking up to meet Sunwoo’s eyes apologetically.

“I… used to be a warlock,” he confesses, balling his hand on the tablecloth. “Hyunjoon’s actually.”

A quiet gasp is drawn.

“We were fighting a group of secret Shadow supporters, trying to get to one of their bases when one of them made a suicidal bombing to take down everyone in the building,” Haknyeon continues to explain, eyes downcast as he starts to curl inwards. Jaehyun, his seatmate, rubs soothing circles into his back and Sangyeon silently thanks him for the action.

“I didn’t make it. Woke up in this weird afterlife limbo where some dude in a gigantic white robe offered to turn me into a spirit because apparently I’ll be useful to him or something. He looked kind of old, and was glowing a lot,” Haknyeon describes. Sangyeon sucks in a breath.

“You met the spirit king?” Changmin asks, incredulous. Haknyeon nods.

“Yeah, I think it was him. Anyway, I woke up like a few months before the entrance exam and found Hyunjoon in a park we used to frequent. I told him what happened and he just kind of… broke. Said some choice words and tried to decapitate me out of rage once. The animal form is useful.

“Afterwards, I told him that the Spirit King or whoever needed me to go back into the selection pool for another team and he lost his shit again. Told me I couldn’t go when I’d been gone for nearly six years already. I said if he wanted to join me so badly, he should join the pool. According to him, he didn’t want to because he didn’t trust anyone else. Bastard.

“So if I had to venture a guess, I’d say Sunwoo’s in this situation because of me,” Haknyeon finishes bitterly, glancing up to face Sunwoo. "Sorry.”

Next to him, Juyeon shakes his head.

“Not your fault, he’s too stubborn. I mean, Sunwoo’s fantastic,” Juyeon says, patting Haknyeon’s shoulder gently as the rest of the table nods along. No one snaps at him. No one says anything to confirm his fears, not even Chanhee, who put his butter knife back with the butter stick. A sense of pride blooms in Sangyeon’s chest.

“So in short, Sun needs to prove himself worthy of this guy or whatever?” Eric summarizes, waving his fork around in the air. Haknyeon nods.

“Yeah, I guess.”

Eric grimaces. “What a load of crap. How’s he going to do that when he can’t even face him?” Eric asks, plopping a potato into his mouth. Sangyeon nods along, pursing his lips as the downpour outside continues to rage on. He wonders if anyone’s outside, sure to catch a terrible cold and feels glad he’s nice and warm inside.

“Well, maybe that second part is a little simpler,” Younghoon mumbles, suddenly standing up. Sangyeon frowns, confused.

“What?” he asks, watching as Younghoon rushes to the foyer, returning moments later with an umbrella as he runs to the patio door. The others stand up too, all confused as they chase after him, yelling out in confusion. Haknyeon and Sunwoo are the first to catch up to him, another umbrella in hand as they slip outside. Sangyeon holds the rest of the boys inside, gesturing at the window as they watch from the inside, trying to find Younghoon and the others in the thick drone of the rainstorm.

“What is he doing?!” Kevin exclaims, confused as he tries to squint through the storm. The others chime in agreement, all collectively building up a knot of worry as minutes pass by. Five. Ten. Fifteen.

“I’m going out there,” Eric mutters, moving towards the door before Sangyeon holds him back, pushing him onto the couch with a stern look.

“We don’t need another person lost out there, stay put,” Sangyeon says, clipped and firm. Eric’s neck veins surfaces.

“But what if they need us? I can feel Hak losing energy out there!” Eric argues, trying to push himself up. Jaehyun holds him down, much to Sangyeon’s gratitude.

“You won’t do them much help, human lightning rod. They’re resourceful. They’ll be back soon,” Jaehyun reassures him, trying for a teasing smile. Sangyeon turns back to the window, trying to make out the others. Silence falls over them again, unbearably tense.

Sangyeon bites his bottom lip.

“Bring them home, Younghoon…”

“Younghoon! What are you doing?!” Sunwoo yells, brow furrowed together as he struggles against the winds. Haknyeon grits his teeth, trying to ignore the biting cold of the rain. He squints at Younghoon, who’s charging ahead with purpose through the rain. He saw something.

Perhaps even  _ someone _ .

A strong gust of wind smashes against Younghoon’s umbrella, nearly knocking him off course. Before Haknyeon can react, a semi-transparent barrier wraps around Younghoon, protecting him from the onslaught of wind. The barrier extends into a sort of bubble, wrapping around Sunwoo and Haknyeon. It’s weak, Haknyeon notes, whipping his head towards Sunwoo. Sunwoo’s hand is shaking from the cold, unbelievably exhausted. A knot twists in Haknyeon’s stomach as he shoulders off his jacket and drapes it over Sunwoo’s shoulder. He turns back to the thick rain and Younghoon, who’s now rushing over to a stray boulder in the middle of the open forest behind the house. Haknyeon rests his hands gently on Sunwoo’s shoulder and jumps, bringing him along as he catches up to Younghoon.

“Damnit!” Younghoon grunts, stopping in front of the boulder as he whips his head from side to side, trying to find something. Haknyeon settles Sunwoo against the boulder, the knot of worry in his stomach tightening at Sunwoo’s pale skin.

“Hyunjoon was  _ just _ here,” Younghoon mutters, eyes trained on the canopies around them. Haknyeon bites his bottom lip, looking into the forest.

“He’s slippery,” Haknyeon points out. "Cats are like that.”

Younghoon sighs, growing frustrated. “Well what do you suggest then? Bring out some catnip?”

Haknyeon purses his lips, an idea slowly dawning to him. “Something like that,” Haknyeon mutters, stepping out of Sunwoo’s bubble. Younghoon yells for him, trying to stop him as Haknyeon closes his eyes. He lets the rain drown out Younghoon’s cries and calls on a contract bond lost years ago. The faint mark of his last contract tattoo hums on Haknyeon’s left shoulder, the faint outline of a rose tracing into his skin again. Haknyeon reaches out, trying to find the other half of the contract before zoning in on a tiny energy signature. Haknyeon’s eyes fly open, leaping into action as he jumps into the canopy.

Hyunjoon’s spirit form—a black and white kitten, barely the size of Haknyeon’s two palms—greets Haknyeon, drenched wet and shivering from the cold. His aura is faint, nothing more than a light shimmer of white. Pain.

Haknyeon’s heart cracks a little at the sight.

“Joonie, please,’ Haknyeon begs, reaching for Hyunjoon. Hyunjoon flinches, trying to jump away to another branch when a loud boom of thunder startles him mid-jump. Haknyeon’s eyes widen, his body working faster than his brain as Haknyeon dives down to catch cat-form Hyunjoon. As soon as his finger makes contact, a bright burst of light fills the air as the cat is replaced by a human body, heavy and near-unconscious.

“G-Get aw—” Hyunjoon chokes out, voice hoarse and weak before a large sneeze shakes his entire body. Haknyeon shakes his head firmly.

“No can do, chief,” Haknyeon argues firmly, scooping Hyunjoon up in his arms before turning back to a wide-eyed Younghoon and a staggering Sunwoo. He cocks his head back towards the house, grateful when they seem to understand.

“I—” Hyunjoon begins, only to be silenced with a singular glare from Haknyeon.

“You’re coming, whether you like it or not,” Haknyeon says firmly, gripping Hyunjoon as he starts to run back to the house. "We can talk when you’re better.”

Hyunjoon doesn’t respond, having passed out somewhere in the sentence.

“I see them! I think Haknyeon’s holding someone in his arms!” Juyeon yells, snapping Sangyeon out of his worry-induced daze. The entire room snaps to attention, rushing to the patio window to try and catch a glimpse of the trio.

“Changmin and Juyeon, go get some towels. Kevin and Chanhee make some hot chocolate or something warm for them when they get back in. Jaehyun and Jacob, go find a heater, quick,” Sangyeon orders, watching them all comply. Then, he turns to Eric, who’s chewing his lips so hard it might start to bleed at any second.

“He’ll be alright,” Sangyeon reassures him. After all, Haknyeon was a professional warlock. A spot of rain won’t hurt him. Eric purses his lips.

“No he won’t be. Sun was practically ready to collapse already, and now…” Eric trails off, worry in his eyes as Sangyeon raises a brow. Perhaps he assumed wrong.

“Sunwoo’s strong,” Sangyeon says instead, deciding to go along with Eric. "He’ll be fine.”

Eric is silent, watching the rain nervously. As Sunwoo’s light blue barrier breaks into view, Sangyeon flings the door open. Younghoon, Haknyeon and Sunwoo stumble in, coughing and shivering as they haul a fourth body inside, a boy with pitch-black hair and skin so pale, he’d blend in with the snow. Juyeon and Changmin return with the towels, cleaning them up as Sangyeon closes the door. Jaehyun and Jacob roll a heater into the room, plugging it in as they slide it over to the mess of bodies. There’s scratches and bruises all over the three boys, each trying to drape themselves over the heater as Younghoon finally stops coughing enough to point at the boy on the floor, unconscious.

“Get him something warm!” Younghoon croaks out. Chanhee emerges from the kitchen with a tray of hot chocolate, distributing it to everyone as Kevin summons up a thermometer and sticks it into the unconscious boy’s mouth. The three second wait is torture, worry hanging in the air before a loud beep fills the room. Kevin curses, summoning up a bunch of heating pads to cover Hyunjoon’s body as he turns to Juyeon.

“Get him to a warm bath, the floor’s too cold. Try to get his clothes off,” Kevin orders. Juyeon nods, rushing to teleport him to the bathroom as Changmin and Jaehyun hurry after to help. Kevin then turns back to the three soaking wet (but conscious) guys draped all over the heater like a sheepskin rug on the floor.

“You guys should get a shower too, I think,” Kevin suggests, to which Sangyeon nods. There’s nothing more to do at this point.

“But what about Hyunjoon?” Sunwoo mumbles between sneezes and coughs. Sangyeon waves him off.

“We’ll deal with him tomorrow. For now, you need to make sure you can still go to school tomorrow,” Sangyeon points out. Sunwoo groans, banging his head against the wall gently.

“Fuck school. Can I dropkick school into next month?” Sunwoo mutters. Next to him, Younghoon laughs weakly.

“Get in line, Sunwoo, get in line.”

The moment Kevin gets home the next day, he’s back to doctor duties.

Hyunjoon has regained a bit of colour that afternoon, even woken up a few hours earlier, according to Younghoon. He tried to run away, apparently, but Younghoon coaxed him back with the promise of warm porridge. He’s now conked out in their spare room, hopefully to be Hyunjoon’s soon.

“He barfed up most of the porridge, but I got some blueberries into him,” Younghoon explains when he hands Kevin a tray of porridge and a spoon. Sunwoo and Haknyeon had insisted on accompanying Kevin earlier, but Sangyeon put them out by reasoning that Hyunjoon needs the least amount of triggers possible. For now, Younghoon, Kevin, Jacob, Juyeon and Sangyeon are going to rotate shifts to keep watch over him, as the calmest auras in the group. The others begrudgingly agreed.

“Has his fever gone down? Did you put him in some warm clothes? Attached an IV drip?” Kevin asks, rambling as he walks over to the room. Younghoon nods.

“Yes to all of them. I disarmed him as best I could too. If he turns into a cat, just tickle him. The fever seems to be making the shifts sporadic,” Younghoon warns as he opens the door for him. Kevin shoots him a warm smile.

“Thanks. Go get some rest now,” Kevin mutters. Younghoon nods, body sagging from the exhaustion of taking care of a passive-aggressive cat for nearly nine hours. The door shuts softly behind Kevin as he makes his way over to the bed, setting the tray onto the bedside table as he watches Hyunjoon stir. Kevin checks the IV bag, pleased to find Younghoon had done it right. They want to keep Hyunjoon under wraps for now, so they can’t even go to the hospital for him. It’s a good thing Kevin carries all kinds of medical supplies on hand.

“How are you feeling?” Kevin asks. Hyunjoon peeks one eye open, bleary and puffy as he glares at Kevin, blanket too far up his face for Kevin to even see his mouth or hear him speak.

“Do you want to eat something?” Kevin asks, gesturing to the porridge. Hyunjoon seems to eye it greedily before shaking his head. The motion pushes the blanket lower, revealing his mouth as Hyunjoon coughs lightly.

“Barfed it all up earlier. Don’t wanna,” Hyunjoon mumbles, sounding way too passive for someone who left three people in near-shambles yesterday. Sickness really sucks everything out of you, Kevin muses.

“Okay, maybe later then,” Kevin decides. He moves off of Hyunjoon’s bed, pulling up to a nearby desk as he opens up his books and starts doing homework. Hyunjoon is silent, either falling back to sleep or just really, really quiet as the room fills itself up with comfortable silence. Kevin isn’t one for confrontations, preferring to let others come to him with their troubles as opposed to trying to diffuse them himself. It makes him a good medic, according to Jacob. It’ll put him in a bad spot someday, according to Juyeon.

Soft blanket shuffling breaks the silence about an hour later, snapping Kevin to attention as he whirls around to find Hyunjoon trying to push himself into a sitting position. Abandoning his Curses and Enchantments homework, Kevin rushes over to help push the pillow into a backrest for Hyunjoon. Hyunjoon winces in pain but flashes him a grateful look nonetheless. He still hasn’t smiled, but baby steps.

“Do you want the food?” Kevin asks gently. Hyunjoon nods, instantly sighing when Kevin gently sets the tray down over his legs, extending the little table legs so no additional weight stays on Hyunjoon’s thighs. Kevin watches him eat for a little while, whispering soft encouragement as Hyunjoon swallows nearly the entire bowl, only faltering for a moment. Just when he’s about to finish, Hyunjoon sighs, glancing over at Kevin.

“Why are you so nice to me?” Hyunjoon asks. "Haven’t I caused a bunch of problems?”

Kevin smiles, nodding as he sets his hands on Hyunjoon’s own. Still cold to touch, the pulse is more present now.

“Everyone deserves a second chance,” Kevin says softly. Hyunjoon gulps, eyes downcast.

“Even someone who failed the one person they had to protect?” Hyunjoon asks. Kevin nods, leaning in as he pats Hyunjoon’s hair softly.

“Even you.”

They rotate and take turns taking care of Hyunjoon for the next week, watching him slowly regain his health and warm up slowly to his nurses, Kevin in particular. He seems to have also taken a liking to Juyeon, even being able to be coaxed into taking a walk around the house while the others do their weekend training in the backyard. Haknyeon sees him through the window that day, fighting every instinct in his body to run inside and wrap him in a big hug. They settle for a shy wave instead.

By the time the second week of school starts, Sangyeon decides Hyunjoon can start to meet others now and Haknyeon practically jumps at the opportunity, taking the first possible slot. Hyunjoon has adapted to solid food by now, so Haknyeon coached Chanhee and Jacob through making Hyunjoon’s favourite bowl of cold noodles—the same kind his own mother used to make.

“Joonie?” Haknyeon calls out into the room when he enters, closing the door with his foot as he walks into the room. Hyunjoon is already awake, sitting on the bed and staring outside as he watches Haknyeon come in. His fever is almost completely gone by now, but they don't want to take risks in any way. At least this way, he can’t run.

“I smell cold noodles,” Hyunjoon mutters, turning to Haknyeon. He’s not even looking at the noodles, just staring intently at Haknyeon as an apology seems to be dripping from his gaze.

“I won’t ask you why you ran,” Haknyeon says, trying to keep his tone comforting as he moves to Hyunjoon’s bedside.

“I’m sorry to everyone,” Hyunjoon says, tone clipped. Haknyeon just sighs, sliding the tray over Hyunjoon’s lap. He recalls the rainstorm and the fear that seized his entire body when he saw Hyunjoon crumpled up on the grass, pale and unconscious. Maybe that was what Hyunjoon felt too, all those years ago.

“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have made you join the draw pool in the first place,” Haknyeon mutters, leaning back on his chair. Hyunjoon gives him one of his exasperated looks, the one Haknyeon had grown so accustomed to for so many years before. There’s a hint of fondness in each and everyone of them, just an undertone of sweetness to Hyunjoon barely anyone gets to see but Haknyeon.

“You left me,” Hyunjoon mumbles, voice barely audible. "For six whole years. You think I’d just let you go again?”

Haknyeon grimaces. He knows this argument, having had it for nearly two months straight. Hyunjoon is unshakable, even post-sickness.

“I wanted to give him a chance, see if there was someone I could try and protect again,” Hyunjoon continues, not even touching his noodles as he just stares at Haknyeon, gaze so raw and broken. It stabs Haknyeon in places he didn’t really know could hurt this much.

“So why didn’t you?” Haknyeon asks, unable to keep the bite out fully. Hyunjoon is silent for a moment.

“He looked like you, all those years ago,” Hyunjoon mutters, eyes downcast again. “I was scared I’d fail again.”

Haknyeon sighs, standing up to grab Hyunjoon’s hand and squeezing it as he moves the tray of noodles off Hyunjoon’s lap. Almost instinctively, Hyunjoon curls up against Haknyeon when he joins him on the bed, head slumped over Haknyeon’s nape as the first tear slipped out.

“Sunwoo’s more than capable of holding his own against anything. Trust him,” Haknyeon drawls, drawing circles into Hyunjoon’s palm.

“You were too. I can still fail him,” Hyunjoon points out. Haknyeon shakes his head.

“It wasn’t your fault. It was a suicide move. There was nothing anyone could have done then,” Haknyeon chides, nudging him slightly. Hyunjoon shakes his head.

“I should’ve been faster. Should’ve seen him and stopped him before you—“

He chokes. Haknyeon continues his circles.

“Then let Sunwoo take you to higher places. He needs to protect you just as much as you need to protect him,” Haknyeon reminds Hyunjoon, voice calm and collected. Hyunjoon bites his bottom lip.

“It’s not the same,” Hyunjoon mutters, finally peeking up at Haknyeon with those sad cat eyes of his. Something squeezes in Haknyeon’s chest.

“Of course it isn’t. But you two would work out amazingly. Just let him prove it to you,” Haknyeon tells him softly. Silence falls on them for a beat. Two. Three.

“I miss you, Hak,” Hyunjoon mumbles, looking he’ll drift back to sleep at any moment. Haknyeon presses a soft kiss onto his forehead, smiling into ministration.

“Miss you too, Joonie.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 28k in and we finally get our first ship . Sorry?


	8. Fighters Alone; Champions Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Act 3: Completing the Team

“What are you doing?” A voice calls out, freezing Hyunjoon halfway through the bedroom window. He curses his luck mentally, silently holding his fist to the sky as it foils his escape plan. He had to wait nearly four hours for Jacob to finally go to the bathroom, how is he back already?

“Look, I know what it looks like but it's not what you think it is,” Hyunjoon begins, turning around and bracing himself for Jacob and his surprisingly terrifying disappointed look, only to find a completely different face with a fiery red mop of hair on his hair.

“Are you running away?” Sunwoo asks. He’s holding a mug of what smells like herbal tea in his hand, steam cupping his tanned skin as he walks into the room. Hyunjoon flinches, leaning towards the window. The threat doesn’t work, only inviting Sunwoo closer as Hyunjoon curses internally again. Why’s the idiot gotta be so stubborn?

“Okay, it’s exactly what you think it is,” Hyunjoon mutters, shrinking away and towards the windowsill the closer Sunwoo gets. He definitely notices Hyunjoon’s actions by now but shows no sign of stopping until he’s by the window, waving his hand in the air. An invisible wave ripples in the air, as if an invisible barrier just dissipated in front of Hyunjoon’s eyes. He stares, dumbfounded.

“It was mostly to keep the bugs out, but also to keep you in. You seem to be in good health now,” Sunwoo explains, shrugging off his windbreaker and handing it to Hyunjoon with a smile. The confusion knitting Hyunjoon’s brow together tightens.

“What are you doing?” Hyunjoon asks. Sunwoo snorts, gesturing vaguely outside.

“Not what you thought I was going to do, huh?” Sunwoo grins, eliciting even more confusion from Hyunjoon.

“You’re helping me run away?” Hyunjoon asks, incredulous. Sunwoo only grins wider.

“Oh okay, it’s exactly what you think it is,” Sunwoo says, quoting Hyunjoon as he drapes the windbreaker over Hyunjoon’s shoulders. Hyunjoon flinches, pressing his back against the windowsill.

“Why?” Hyunjoon whispers cautiously, raising one hand into a ready stance as he hangs one leg off the ledge. His other one is tucked to his chest, a half-squat as he keeps only his head in the room.

“I’m a Tank, Hyunjoon,” Sunwoo says, stepping away and raising his hands in the air to simulate defeat. "Defender of justice and guardian of all the cheesy stuff they come up with around here.”

Hyunjoon frowns. "And?”

“I would make a shit guardian if I just forced you into a contract, wouldn’t I?” Sunwoo explains. His eyes carry a hint of acceptance as if having internalized the fact that Hyunjoon will likely never become his spirit.

“Yeah, but…” Hyunjoon begins, still frowning. He involuntarily swings his other foot back into the room, sliding onto the desk that was by the window and sitting on top of it.

“You were so much more stubborn in the exam. And throughout the past week, too,” Hyunjoon points out, recalling Kevin telling him stories about the others to keep Hyunjoon’s mind off the serious stuff. This situation is just… off.

“You were watching?” Sunwoo asks, raising an eyebrow. Hyunjoon’s eyes widen as he realizes his mistake. Sunwoo seems to catch on, an easy smile falling on his plump, cherry-red lips again.

“I guess I just realized I couldn’t do anything to prove to you my worth or whatever, short of fighting you myself,” Sunwoo drawls, rolling his shoulders back into a relaxed stance as he gestures to the great outdoors again.

“So you gave up,” Hyunjoon summarizes, dissatisfaction pooling at the pit of his stomach. Sunwoo shrugs.

“Haknyeon told me why you don’t want to team up. Evidently, I’m not strong enough and needs you to defend me, and you’re scared you’ll fail. I admit I’m probably even worse than your expectations,” Sunwoo explains, although there’s a hint of resignation in his tone as the smile falters for a moment. Hyunjoon’s gaze hardens. This is too easy. He hates easy.

“Don’t sell yourself short,” Hyunjoon hisses, not knowing where the sudden flare of anger came from. Who is Sunwoo to judge him so quickly?

“But you won’t even give me a chance, so obviously I’m putting myself exactly where I should be,” Sunwoo drawls, something glinting in his eyes. The anger flares up even further up Hyunjoon’s neck.

“Fine. Prove it to me. Show me everything you got, and if I was right I’ll run,” Hyunjoon spits, jumping to the floor as he gives Sunwoo back his windbreaker. 

“And if I beat you?” Sunwoo asks, tapping his arm as they cross in front of his chest, his smile dropping into a serious look.

“I’ll become your spirit,” Hyunjoon offers, watching as something shifts in Sunwoo’s eyes. He can’t place what it is exactly but feels a knot twisting in his stomach.

“Deal.”

Something is weird.

“I can’t believe that worked,” Younghoon deadpans, snapping Eric out of his happy daze munching in blueberry pancakes.

“I told you, I’m a genius,” Eric exclaims, leaning back on his chair with a grin as he tosses a blueberry into his mouth. Pride flares in his chest as amusement dances on his features, watching intently as Younghoon scowls.

“Where’d you even learn to do that?” Younghoon asks, waving his fork in the air. Eric shrugs.

“Jaehyun used it to make me eat my veggies. Hyunjoon can’t be  _ that _ different,” Eric points out, much to Younghoon’s exasperation.

“You two are demons,” Younghoon mutters, shaking his head as he digs into his bowl of cereal. Eric just cackles, catching Hyunjoon’s confused look as he peeks out from the hallway. A grin blooms on Eric’s face.

“I prefer mad genius, but that’s fair.”

As it turns out, Sangyeon’s weird cherry blossom battlefield comes equipped with cheering stands, gladiator rooms and even adjustable weather settings, for when Sunwoo would ever want to try fighting in a blizzard. Initially, they were just going to have Sunwoo and Hyunjoon duke it out in the backyard before Chanhee makes the astute observation that they could very easily accidentally blow the house up. Sangyeon proposes using his ‘Sanctuary’ magic and simply changing the magic dampener to allow them to use their magic inside. It’s almost perfect, how well things align for them. The rest of TBZ are seated in a large circle around the arena, sitting on the grass with popcorn in their laps like they were watching a dog fight. Really, Sunwoo finds it all a little funny.

Younghoon has a notebook pulled out, always scribbling down notes and observations on their fighting styles to suggest changes and adjustments to technique, ability usage and physical training. He’s like a free personal trainer. Sangyeon sits on the opposite side, meditating to keep the arena up, eyes closed. Juyeon, Jacob and Kevin flash Sunwoo a chorus of thumbs up and reassuring smiles, while Eric, Changmin and Chanhee hold up cheering slogans and signs like fans at a concert. One of them even has a picture of Mr. Kim glaring down at him passive-aggressively with the words ‘The Kim is Always Watching’. Sunwoo is almost scared.

Haknyeon and Jaehyun are the only ones without something ridiculous, although Jaehyun looks like he’s half-asleep. Apparently, the Ace course load is five times worse than any of the other classes, evidently taking its toll on Jaehyun as he seems to struggle to keep his eyes open. Haknyeon is quiet for a different reason, glancing between Hyunjoon and Sunwoo with anxiety in his eyes. He can’t decide who to support, Sunwoo guesses.

The air is silent, almost tense as Sunwoo approaches his starting position. Hyunjoon does the same, a few steps ahead as he plants his feet on the ground. His hands tingle with magic, a broadsword forming in his hands out of thin air. Weapon Creation, Haknyeon described it. Hyunjoon could summon any weapon out of thin air and fight with them to a level that would make it seem like he had trained his whole life with the weapon. Sunwoo swallows, hoping his anxiety doesn’t show.

The easy part of Eric’s plan was over, convincing Hyunjoon to come here. Now Sunwoo has to beat the spirit they called the Master Warrior in his days.

Easy.

Not.

“Take your stances,” Sangyeon says, breaking the tense silence as he holds his hand up, a golden three forming in the air. He’s going all out with the theatrics today, it seems.

“I expect a fair fight, understood? No dirty tricks,” Sangyeon announces waving his hand as the number becomes a ‘two’. Sunwoo crouches, readying his shield as Hyunjoon does the same. Polar opposites, the two of them. Somehow meant to work together, the two of them. Sunwoo needed to make sure of that.

“Without further ado,” Sangyeon begins, changing the two into a one. Sunwoo’s gaze hardens, meeting Hyunjoon’s steely one.

“Begin!” Sangyeon declares, slicing his hands down as the number disappears. Instantly, Sunwoo’s limbs jump to action, spiralling him into action as he charges. Hyunjoon does the same, reaching him first as he jumps, blade raised as he swings it down in a wide arc. Sunwoo tucks himself into a roll, angling a barrier to deflect the swing before shifting his shield into a coach gun, putting distance between them as Sunwoo bolts, jumping off the walls as he keeps on firing at the ground, stirring up dust.

Hyunjoon doesn’t say anything, the quiet striker Sunwoo expected him to be, simply disappearing into the dust along with Sunwoo. Sunwoo swings his gun onto his back, launching himself up and out of the cloud as he squints, trying to spot Hyunjoon. He sets up four barriers around his body, and barely in the nick of time as an arrow zips from beneath the cloud, striking him and shattering the first barrier. Sunwoo’s body flies into the air from the recoil, gaining even more altitude as he grins. Turning his jetpack into a shield, Sunwoo, spreads a layer of an invisible barrier into the air, far out of sight from the battlefield before blasting himself down again, feigning hurt as he braces for impact. 

Hyunjoon charges at him, now wielding a rapier as he worms through Sunwoo’s barriers, coming mere centimetres within Sunwoo’s shoulder before Sunwoo activates his backup shield on his skin, blocking one shot and one shot only as he slams into the wall. The impact shakes Sunwoo’s bones and muscles into jelly, eliciting a collective gasp from the stand. Sunwoo ignores them, ducking to dodge another one of Hyunjoon’s attacks as he finally makes his first attack, a kick and a shotgun blast to the stomach. Hyunjoon dodges the first, barely affected by the second as he flips midair, landing on his feet before jumping up, snarling as he changes his rapier into a fan of blades. Sunwoo runs again, jumping and rolling to dodge the blades as fast as his body would allow. Hyunjoon eventually gets one, shattering Sunwoo’s third layer of barrier as a final one remains. Sunwoo grits his teeth. He only has one last shot at this.

With a growl, Sunwoo jumps into the air, assisted by his coach gun as he charges at Hyunjoon, managing to use his barriers to wrap Hyunjoon’s sword arm and blocking the retaliation, launching himself into the sky as he fires straight down, making sure Hyunjoon has no airtime to recover. Hyunjoon seemingly falters for a second, before growling and opening up his arms. A million weapons materialize, from blades to maces to what looks like a rubber chicken with a grenade strapped to it. Sunwoo grits his teeth. This is it.

Hyunjoon launches them, creating dust so thick nothing is visible from the inside. Sunwoo musters all of his leftover energy into the thickest barrier he can muster, letting the impact of the weapons send him upwards and upwards, more and more force shattering against Sunwoo’s barrier as blood roars in Sunwoo’s ear. The attacks are relentless, happening for what felt like an eternity as Sunwoo can feel his body fraying at the ends from the stress on it. It’s worse than that first day at the Academy, and Sunwoo realizes belatedly how much he’s come in just a single week. Between the hellish week having to keep up when he’s moving at half the pace everyone else is and the constant strain on his physique, his magic seems to have adapted and grown, blooming into something unbreakable as Sunwoo’s will hardens. 

He won’t go down. Not like this.

He thinks to the others as his barriers start to crack, everyone from Jaehyun and Changmin’s stupid slogans and odd cheering techniques to Juyeon’s insistent pulling at him to go on his morning runs at five AM. Everyone’s cheers and efforts pool in Sunwoo’s arms like moths fluttering around a lamp, gentle and fluttering as Sunwoo feels his limits shatter, seemingly pushing himself to newer heights as he keeps on absorbing the damage. Sangyeon’s coaching, Kevin’s gentle tutoring, Younghoon’s irreplaceable advice, Haknyeon’s overwhelming briefing on Hyunjoon, all converge into the forefront of Sunwoo’s mind as he paces himself. Deep breaths. Don’t let the magic overtake you. Chanhee and Jacob made him the biggest breakfast in the history of breakfast that day, roaring and becoming newfound energy in Sunwoo’s veins as he channels even more magic into his hold, refusing to crack, He doesn’t even feel fatigued, somehow.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sunwoo spots a familiar tuft of blond hair and something blooms inside his chest, overwhelmingly warm and comforting, Eric’s watching him with nothing but pure confidence, the one person to believe in Sunwoo more than Sunwoo himself. Always there, always cheering and egging him on, dumb and dumber in action together. He’s there in every milestone and every part of Sunwoo’s life, infectious energy and dreams too big for his little body roping Sunwoo into this life in the first place. Something shifts in Sunwoo’s guts, his resolve morphing into something different. This wasn’t about proving himself to Hyunjoon anymore. This was about finally using a lifetime of endless support.

The attacks end, finally, dying down ever so slightly. Hyunjoon isn’t invincible, and Sunwoo knows summoning takes infinitely more energy than absorbing. As the attacks slow enough for Sunwoo to get a clear view, Sunwoo launches himself at Hyunjoon, harnessing all the energy he gathered into one focused beam of force. As Kevin so eloquently described it, Sunwoo doesn’t just make the impact disappear. Energy isn’t created or destroyed—it only changes from one form to another. Normally, Sunwoo internalizes all of it, causing him to collapse so fast. Instead, Younghoon suggested he focus it into one centralized power source of sorts, stored in his very own weapon. Sunwoo finally allows himself to grit his teeth, launching the energy as it rips through the air, shooting into the ground with immense force, shaking the entire arena as Sunwoo lets his magic run free, transforming all the kinetic force into pure plasma as it razes the ground, turning the beautiful landscape a hellish shade of red. Sunwoo falls along with the force, finally dissipating when he reaches the stands again. He blinks, realizing that he’s still conscious as he shifts his energy source back into a coach gun, softening his landing as Sunwoo rolls onto the ground. He turns around to find Hyunjoon still standing upright, a blade in his hand, red and hot as it seems to be on the verge of melting. His expression is cold, not even a sweat beading on his face.

That’s it.

Sunwoo failed.

A beat passes.

Two.

Three.

Hyunjoon collapses first, sword disappearing into thin air as the landscape fades. Haknyeon is the first to run to his side, catching Hyunjoon from falling as he shoots Sunwoo a relieved smile. Sunwoo falters, nearly falling over before someone catches him too, a familiar warmth on his back as Sunwoo sighs in relief, adrenaline finally ebbing.

“You did it!” Eric whisper-yells in Sunwoo’s ear, trying to support him as the others run to cheer and throw Sunwoo into the air. Joy and relief courses through Sunwoo like a waterfall, drowning him as Sunwoo smiles, bright and carefree.

“Sunwoo! Sunwoo!” the others chant, tossing him like he won against the world’s most terrifying Shadow or something. No, this is even better. He won against himself. Sangyeon disperses them and convinces the boys to let him down after two more tosses, letting Kevin look over any possible injuries. Only a bruise on his left side from the impact against the walls. Otherwise, Sunwoo is fine.

“I did it,” Sunwoo whispers, all that just happened finally catching up to him. Kevin beams at him, pride pulling the smile to his ears.

“You really did it, you madman.”

Hyunjoon pulls Eric aside a few hours later, catching him coming out of the shower after physical training for the weekend ended. They duck into Eric’s room, where Hyunjoon basically hangs his head in defeat. It’s just a little weird, Eric decides.

“I just wanted to say sorry, and thanks,” Hyunjoon mutters. Eric frowns, cocking his head to the side.

“Well, you’re welcome, but what for?” Eric replies cautiously. Hyunjoon bites his bottom lip.

“Thanks for coming up with that plan to make me stay. Kevin told me what happened,” Hyunjoon begins, scratching the back of his head as he looks around the second floor, looking out for anyone listening in. The only person on the floor is Jacob, who has music blasting in his room and seems to be doing some kind of meditation in his floating dolphin form. How anyone mediates to Eminem, Eric will never understand.

“Ah yes, my stroke of pure genius,” Eric deadpans, eliciting a snort from Hyunjoon. He gives Eric an exasperated smile as if saying ‘really? Now?’, and Eric takes it as a win. From what he’s heard from Radio Hourly (Changmin), no one has seen Hyunjoon crack a smile since he got here. Simply another testament to Eric’s greatness is all.

“And sorry for putting all of you guys through that whole ordeal, I guess,” Hyunjoon mutters, scratching the back of his head again. Really, he must have a flea problem or something. Probably from spending half of his time as a cat, Eric muses. He glances outside the window trying to spot the others training. Haknyeon seems to be a target today, full form as an elephant stomping and running around the place while Juyeon and Kevin seem to be sparring with him. Does Haknyeon get fleas too?

“It’s fine, dude. It all worked out in the end  _ and _ you just made me win a bet against my brother. If anything, I should be thanking you,” Eric jokes, trying to keep the atmosphere light. He hates tense atmospheres. It brings out the worrywart in him, Eric’s most annoying side of all. He remembers Jaehyun saying the fact that he worries so much is worrying once.

“Do you ever take anything seriously?” Hyunjoon asks, staring at Eric in disbelief. Eric pauses, thinking back to the knot of worry that had tightened in his stomach when he was watching Sunwoo fight earlier. He barely managed to scrape together a reassuring look when their eyes met, but the worry didn’t ease until Hyunjoon’s knee gave out first. Another memory flares up, when they were down for the count and Sunwoo was mere moments away from losing his one chance to become a hero. Eric was ready to do anything to make sure Sunwoo went through, at the very least. One more settles into the crevices of Eric’s brain, the day he met Sunwoo in the little elementary school playground. He made a promise then, the most serious he was in his entire life. To protect that precious smile on his best friend’s face, he vowed.

“Nope!” Eric smiles, popping the ‘p’ as he pulls Hyunjoon downstairs. Kevin’s afternoon tutoring session on Shadow Biology is starting in about half an hour and Eric is always in dire need of tutoring.

There’s something utterly exhilarating to Sangyeon seeing his entire team gathered in one room, finally complete. 'Room' is a stretch, since they’re back on the pool deck again, a giant circle of salt drawn in the center. Sunwoo and Hyunjoon sit in the middle of it, eyes closed as Sangyeon reads the two contracts in his hand, drawn after a whole night of bickering between the pair. Kevin makes his infamous Kimchi soup again, apparently just as salty as it was last time, according to Changmin, his kitchen mate. As the ritual wraps up, Sunwoo and Hyunjoon take the bowl, one hesitant while the other calm and collected. Really, Sangyeon is looking forward to their reactions a little too much.

“Through the power invested in me by those holding the seats of governance, I hereby decree this contract as valid. You may take the binding agent, but be aware that the moment you consume the agent, you will be bound to this contract for life,” Sangyeon announces, gesturing for them to drink up. Sunwoo downs it in one shot, preferring to get it over with as his face morphs into a look of pure discomfort, contorting and scrunching up while Hyunjoon just frowns at his bowl. They seem to be telepathically communicating, if their indecipherable looks at each other are any indication. Sunwoo is the first to break the connection, collapsing into laughter as he rolls on the floor. Hyunjoon rolls his eyes, cracking a grin as he turns to Kevin.

“As much as I love you, please never cook again.”

The next day is the first time Sangyeon sees them all in action. It’s a game of team dodgeball, a gigantic battle happening in a simulated gladiator arena, complete with trenches, fireworks and elaborate traps. And the kids call  _ him _ dramatic.

“The synergy could use a little work,” Younghoon mutters from beside Sangyeon, furiously scribbling in his notebook. Sangyeon nods along, watching with a keen eye as Sunwoo and Hyunjoon try to click, but they’re behind by a whole two weeks. Everything is always a beat off.

“I think practice reviews and learning each other’s style can improve that, first of all,” Sangyeon suggests. Younghoon nods, noting it down as Sangyeon watches Sunwoo launch a whole wall of dodgeballs at a team. They only catch two.

“Precision training too,” Sangyeon notes, tapping on his chair as he tries to keep the flash of pride in his chest from swelling up too much. They’re not perfect, sure, but they’re right where they belong. The team works seamlessly, even with another body into the mix. Hyunjoon naturally falls into the striker role, balancing out Sunwoo’s dynamics as a defender. He even works well with the others, playing off of Changmin’s surprise attack style and Jacob’s more defensive nature almost perfectly.

But perhaps the most impressive sight is when he gets to fight alongside Haknyeon. A bit of their old chemistry bleeds through their movement, a kind of practiced ease and grace to their movement. Hyunjoon will take up the offence when Hakneyon recuperates to conserve his energy, while Haknyeon naturally explodes with power as Hyunjoon turns to play guard. It’s fascinating, Sangyeon thinks, the reminder that they were once a duo out in the real world, fighting with the rest of the front-liners.

“I could get used to this,” Sangyeon mutters to himself, allowing himself a pleased smile. Younghoon echoes his sentiment with a grin, snapping his notebook shut as TBZ scores the final takedown, only three casualties on their side.

“Yeah, me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the team's complete! But wait—there's still 18 chapters left? ;)


	9. Reach the Finish Line!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Act 4: The Warlock Festival

The mountain air is peaceful and serene as if it's the surface of a lake, perfectly still and like a mirror as Jacob inhales. They’re in the mountains for the annual Warlock Festival, televised nationally as ten schools and nearly a hundred teams compete in various events and tracks to determine the next top team to keep an eye out for in years to come. They’ve been lumped into a large hotel on the mountainside, split into ten groups for maximum mingling with the other schools. Almost immediately after they arrived yesterday, Eric and Sunwoo found a couple of good friends from their high school days and ran off for nearly five hours, camping out overnight in the hotel arcade. Jacob was sent to watch them, the only one responsible enough for Sangyeon to trust. The other team’s chaperone joined them after Sunwoo made a dig at his height, dissolving that night into chaos.

Jacob sighs, leaning over to rest on the banisters of his room’s terrace, inhaling the cool mountain air as he smiles to himself. A peaceful morning, finally. The first in more than three months, he muses.

“Up already? Thought you were Juyeon for a sec,” Kevin interrupts the silence, voice accompanied by the rickety sliding door groaning open. Jacob lets an easy smile fall on his face, turning around to face Kevin.

“Did I wake you up? Sorry,” Jacob mutters, fixing his hair as the cold mountain wind tries to blow it off. He’s in a T-shirt and shorts, ready to fight off the sweltering June heat later while Kevin is outfitted in a giant hoodie that clings onto his frail frame like falling leaves covering a little acorn seed. Round spectacles hang at the tip of his nose, hair messy and uncombed as Jacob recognizes the hoodie as his own. Kevin wears his cute cat slippers with it though, making him look impossibly cuter.

“Nah, woke up after. Saw you out here for a good like ten minutes?” Kevin says, waving Jacob off as he walks over and hands him a cup of coffee. Hotel coffee, sure, but caffeine is always appreciated.

“Are you excited?” Jacob asks, turning to him with an eager smile. "Your event’s up first.”

Kevin’s smile falters for a moment. “Nervous, more like. I think I’ll manage.”

Jacob nods, draping his arm around Kevin’s waist as he pats him, a gesture of comfort as he straightens.

“We’ll be cheering you on, don‘t worry. Hee and Hoonie went all out for this.”

“Too slow on the drop. Remember, you have to tuck first,” Sangyeon’s voice calls out, breaking Juyeon’s concentration for a brief moment. His sparring partner, a sweating Younghoon, is panting, nodding as he registers the suggestions. Sangyeon signals Juyeon again, arms crossed as he lounges on a wicker chair to the side of the little clearing they found in the hotel gardens. Juyeon nods, moving in to start striking at Younghoon. Younghoon dodges his initial sweeping kick with a simple duck and roll to evade the follow-up jump. Juyeon grins, running towards him and going for a left hook. Younghoon intercepts the attack, delivering a swift blow to Juyeon’s stomach. It doesn’t connect, Juyeon’s leg hooking around Younghoon’s left one and he trips him, throwing Younghoon off balance. He falls to the ground with a hard thud as Juyeon stands over him, Younghoon’s arms forced behind his back. Sangyeon nods from his perch, signalling for Juyeon to get off as he tosses him a bottle of water. Juyeon accepts it graciously, tipping the water into his mouth as Younghoon pushes himself into a sitting position.

“You’ll get it someday,” Juyeon reassures Younghoon, handing him the water bottle. Younghoon grimaces.

“Me? Beat the great Lee Juyeon? Sure, one wild day,” Younghoon mutters. Juyeon snorts, plopping down next to Younghoon as he drops his head into Younghoon’s lap, a yawn drawn out of his mouth. He flutters his eyes close, pausing only for a moment to catch Younghoon’s fond look.

“What?” Juyeon asks. Younghoon shakes his head.

“You’re so different on and off the battlefield, you know that?” Younghoon points out, drawing a frown on Juyeon’s face.

“What do you mean?” Juyeon asks, burrowing himself deeper into Younghoon’s lap.

“You’re cuter. Not cold. Like a switch is just flipped,” Younghoon explains, gulping down his water before standing up and effectively pushing Juyeon onto the grass.

“Come on, sleepyhead, it’s time for breakfast.”

The stadium’s prep area is huge, Kevin notes. It’s probably twice as big as any backstage area Kevin’s ever been in, and that’s saying something. He thinks back to the catwalk above the theatre Kevin and Juyeon used to spend their childhood hiding from their parents in to watch musicals, wondering how many of those catwalks could fit in the massive prep area of the stadium.

Kevin is gaping, fascinated with the large gathering of so many warlocks all converging in one place. They’re all antsy, warming up and stretching while the Ace torch relay was commencing outside. Jaehyun is out there somewhere, running on some beaten mountain track with a torch in hand.

“Nervous?” Sunwoo asks. Pulling Kevin from his thoughts as Kevin flinches, turning around to meet Sunwoo’s gaze.

“Maybe,” Kevin admits. Sunwoo raises his eyebrow.

“You’re like, the image of serenity in front of Mr. Kim’s tests while everyone shits their pants. Now everyone is excited and you’re shitting your pants?” Sunwoo asks, incredulous. Kevin smacks his arm, scrunching his nose.

“I’ll have you know my pants are shit-free. As for Mr. Kim, he’s really not as bad as you guys make him out to be,” Kevin drawls, rolling his eyes as Eric suddenly sticks his head up from the ground, nearly jumping upright.

“He threw me in an escape room when I could’ve drowned! Of course, he’s that bad!” Eric exclaims, chest flaring up. Sunwoo nods vehemently along.

“Jaehyun and I had to run a death maze and everything, what are you talking about?!” Sunwoo adds on, childish energy stacking on top of Eric’s. Kevin snorts.

“It couldn’t have been that bad, I got stuck in a tree trunk with termites trying to eat me alive. He’s just teaching you to think under pressure,” Kevin reasons. Eric rolls his eyes at him.

“Great lesson. Least I got to go to lunch early,” Eric mumbles, stomach grumbling as if on cue. Kevin snorts while Sunwoo cackles, the sound ricocheting off the walls and snapping Younghoon from his notebook in the corner. Kevin smiles at him, gesturing for him to take his earphones off.

“I’ll go get us some snacks then, what do you guys want?” Kevin proposes, receiving an onslaught of demands as he mentally notes them, nodding and pushing himself up. He walks over to the door, creating a checklist for himself as he approaches the vending machine, only to find an odd shadow peeking out from underneath it. Kevin frowns.

“Hello?” Kevin asks, stepping closer to peer around the machine. A hiss pierces through the air, disappearing in a blur of motion as Kevin jumps, flattening himself to the machines as he watches a peculiar guy run away. He looks familiar, but Kevin can’t quite place it.

Frowning, Kevin takes another hesitant step towards where the figure was before to find a little can of cat food, half-eaten and open on the floor. A spirit? But this area was for warlocks only?

“Weird,” Kevin mutters, returning to his snack retrieval. The hairs on the back of Kevin's neck stand up as if someone was watching him intently. Kevin gulps, pushing his glasses up. He turns around to find no one, but the feeling returns the moment his back is to the crowd. Kevin tenses, trying to turn around quickly, only to find no one staring at him in the first place. His cheeks dust pink.

Whatever. He could just have hallucinated it, right?

The atmosphere is tense, Changmin notes, frigid and heavy, like someone’s holding in their breath for too long. The main event of the festival was about to begin, the infamous Warlock Relay Race, that kicks off the first round of eliminations. Eliminated teams still had smaller events and competitions to showcase their skills, but they pale in comparison to the main tournament, and that is where TBZ needs to be.

“Everybody, take your marks,” a man calls over the intercom, breaking the silence as the racers tense up. Changmin bites his bottom lip nervously, feeling a chill run down his spine. The flimsy graphic tee and blazer uniform Chanhee threw together for them as cheer outfits don’t do much to counteract the cold mountain air. Still, he tries to sit a little straighter, ready to jump into cheering motion.

“Get set,” the announcer continues. The track in front of them is irregular, more of a dirt plain with no specific markings in the ground. There are mines hidden underneath, according to Jacob’s booklet. Changmin feels a knot of worry tighten in his stomach. Jaehyun is their first runner, face taught in concentration as he stares straight ahead. The announcer glances around the stadium, smiling mysteriously before swinging his flag downwards, signalling the start of the race with a shrill whistle blow.

The crowd explodes, starting to cheer as Changmin spots the casters and commentators start to rattle off competing teams and key players to watch out for. He’s standing up now, cheering and hollering as Jaehyun creates an ice bridge right over the mines, a far enough distance not to trigger them as he effortlessly glides over it all. Explosions start happening all around him from others’ failed attempts, but Jaehyun is calm and collected as he blocks the impacts with pillars of ice. Changmin grins.

“Let’s go!” Changmin exclaims, sending positive vibes to his teammate as Jaehyun clears the first part with ease, handing the baton to their next runner—Juyeon.

“Welcome to the Jungle of Obscurity. A good hero can always find their victims!”

The second challenge is navigating a maze of jungle vines and trees, with the brush so thick it’s nearly impossible to see two meters ahead. No problem for Juyeon and his teleportation, though, zipping through the forest and combing out the exit with practiced ease. He gets stopped midway by a giant tarantula the size of a large bus, hissing and sniping at him. The pigeon half of Changmin tells him to run away, despite being a safe distance away from the monster. Juyeon defeats it easily, teleporting out of the spider’s grasp as he vaults himself through the last few trees, bursting out into the sunlight. He’s the forerunner now, about ten cameras focusing on him as he twists his body mid-jump, handing the baton to Sunwoo.

“Go, Sunwoo, go!” Changmin yells, cupping his mouth as he hollers. Chanhee and Haknyeon do the same, sound amplified by Jacob to reach their teammates as he cheers with them too. Hyunjoon is less enthusiastic, but still waves his pompoms in the air with an excited grin on his face the moment Sunwoo starts his course.

“The third course is adequately named Apocalypse. Rescue missions are the backs and bones of hero work, protecting the innocents wherever they go!”

Much more hellish than the initial minefield, fireballs and debris is launched from all angles, seemingly converging on the players as Sunwoo uses the impact to push him forward. Like when he duelled Hyunjoon, a small, excited part of Changmin notes. Sunwoo nearly makes it through unscathed, but a sudden orb of purple energy is launched at him from another student. Sunwoo stops in his tracks, having to dodge more as his pace slows down, dropping to sixth place by the time he reaches the next challenge. Changmin grits his teeth. Sabotagers. He hates them.

“Moving onto most exciting of our courses so far, the Obstacle Course! You must navigate it a certain way—but look! Someone’s clearing it at lightning speed!”

Changmin grins widely, beaming from ear to ear as he watches Eric jump from beam to beam, swinging on poles and sliding under rollers as his supercharged electric form covers him with unfounded energy. Younghoon had been the one to suggest that strategy, coaching Eric to harness the normally overflowing electricity that always seemed to be going to waste just zapping off of his body to collect into articles of his clothing. Then, by conserving that energy, Eric can use it to supercharge himself, becoming something akin to a chipmunk on sugar overdose, zipping across the obstacle course with ease. The baton is electric when he tosses it to Kevin, who catches with a hologram out of caution.

“The second last course is a trap, of course! Stuck in a tower each, who can make it to the top first?”

A camera drone flies into Kevin’s tower, displaying everything on the big screen for them to watch. Changmin bites his bottom lip, nervous as he watches Kevin run from room to room, solving numerous puzzles and challenges while the water slowly fills up the tower. At about halfway up, the tower splits into a climbing challenge of sorts, full of slippery rocks and unstable footholds. A lump lodges into Changmin’s throat. Kevin, ever the smart one in their team, foregoes the danger, summoning a grappling hook as he grapples to the top with ease. He doesn’t make it to the door, but he’s just in range to summon a bow and knocks the baton into it, letting the stick fly as he starts to fall again. Only the baton needed to make it through, anyway.

“The genius!” Chanhee exclaims, clutching his pompoms as he waves them around ridiculously. Changmin nods in agreement, practically jumping as he can see them enter the home stretch. Younghoon is their last runner, the last 500 meters made for human anchors instead of warlocks. Just a regular race, but it makes Changmin’s heart pound almost out of his chest.

“Younghoonie! Beat them all!” He screams, all of his leftover energy channelled into a screech as Younghoon starts to pick up the pace, racing across the track as numerous others drag behind. They’re almost there, just a few more meters and—

Disaster strikes.

Younghoon trips, falling over himself as he stumbles to the ground. Three people overtake him immediately, tying a tense knot in Changmin’s stomach as he watches Younghoon pick himself up and runs again, although he seems to be in pain. This is bad, so, so bad. They were doing so well, too! Changmin bites his bottom lip, not knowing what to do—

“You got this!” A loud cheer pierces through the air, the loudest one in the entire stadium even making Younghoon flinch as Changmin whips his head to the source of the sound. Hyunjoon is standing up, pompoms held high in the air as he shouts, cheering with every last fibre of his body. His neck vein looks like it’s on the verge of popping, even.

Changmin turns back to Younghoon, who’s just a little bit faster now as they enter the last 100 meters. Changmin’s mouth sets into a hard line, waving his pompoms into the air as the rest of the team snaps into cheering their hardest, praise seemingly boosting Younghoon’s speed as he overtakes someone. Another person passes by with only ten meters left, oh so close as Changmin screams one last time, determined to make it count as Younghoon spurts. The finish line snapping as a body comes in contact with it, Younghoon overtaking the lead runner as the stadium erupts into cheers.

The other warlocks of TBZ gather around Younghoon and tossing him into the air, infectious energy spilling into the festival air as fireworks explode, the whole crowd cheering as Younghoon cranes his neck to find someone in the crowd. Their eyes finally meet, a chill running Changmin’s spine while pride blooms in his chest, bubbling up in tears in his eyes. Younghoon smiles brightly, eyes crinkling up into a pair of blindingly beautiful half-moons, joy in his features. Something sparks in the pit of Changmin’s stomach, warm and bubbly as someone rests a hand on Changmin’s shoulder.

“He’s so pretty when he’s happy, isn’t he?” Chanhee mutters, adoration in his voice. Changmin grins, nodding along. They had made a promise six years ago to make sure that Younghoon always has a reason to be happy and blissful like he is right now, ecstasy dripping from the air. Changmin sighs.

“Yeah, he really is.”

Only fifty teams made it through to the second round, Jacob finds out, the cut being brutal the moment the fiftieth place kid dragged himself to the finish line. He feels kind of bad for all of those eliminated, but it’s overshadowed by the pride swirling in his chest from Younghoon’s victory. Barely overtaking the lead runner at the last possible second, too. Truly their secret ace.

The second round is one for spirits, relay race format exchanged for a game of volleyball instead. The bad part is, Jacob’s the only one on this team with remotely any volleyball experience.

“It’s not regular volleyball,” Hyunjoon points out, pulling on his shin pads as Changmin ties a headband around his head. Jacob nods grimly.

“How does fifty-way volleyball even work though?” Chanhee asks, slathering sunscreen over his pale arms. Jacob shrugs.

“According to the pamphlet, it’s more keep away than it is volleyball. We have to use our ball to hit other balls to the ground, but we’re not allowed to use our magic directly on the ball,” Jacob explains. If Sangyeon is their overall leader and Jaehyun is their warlock leader, Jacob is handed the spirit leader badge. As the oldest and, usually, the calmest, the other four spirits just snap to attention with him around. It’s somewhat terrifying, Jacob notes.

“So what’s the game plan?” Haknyeon asks, addressing the elephant in the room. Jacob smiles.

“I’m glad you asked. Now…”

Life was great for a total of three minutes, and Chanhee grumbles to himself. Haknyeon had been their main scorer, sucking away other magic and making the other spirits have to rely on non-existent volleyball skills to keep their ball afloat. Meanwhile, with a combination of Hyunjoon’s super powerful mini fan and Jacob’s volleyball skills, they stay a safe distance away. The plan was simple. Split up into a strike team and a defence team. One just to run away and one to attack.

Chanhee might’ve chosen the wrong team.

“Changmin has to stay with the others, make them miss with illusions, you were the only choice left, hyung,” Haknyeon mutters when Chanhee complains about how stressful it is to dodge fifty teams trying to collectively roast him alive.

“Plus, I need your boost,” Haknyeon says, extending his power to a nearby team again as Chanhee grabs his arms, channelling power-up boost magic into Haknyeon’s arm. The ball falls, earning TBZ another point as the team tries to recover. They run immediately, trying to keep others from starting to catch onto their strategy. Chanhee is in the middle of fighting another team when a shrill dog whistle rings in the air—their distress signal. Chanhee whirls to Haknyeon.

“Let’s go!” Chanhee yells. They duck and dodge an apocalypse’s worth of attacks, even managing to accidentally score another point before spotting Changmin and Hyunjoon fending off a horde of attackers, all trying to get their ball. Jacob is motionless on the floor beside them, barely out of harm’s way as Changmin tries to grab him and run. Chanhee sends a boost to Changmin, whose eyes immediately light up as he unleashes a nightmare over his opponents, making about five teams drop their balls at the same time. Haknyeon reaches Jacob first, swinging him over his shoulder as they run, tucking themselves in a corner to prevent backstabs.

“What happened?” Chanhee asks, trying to check for damage. Changmin pants, out of breath as he sets up a small camouflage for them temporarily.

“He got hit on the head and crumbled fast. I could barely get to the dog whistle,” Changmin replies, helping Chanhee set him up against the stadium walls. They’re starting to drop the leaderboard, losing precious time as Chanhee curses.

“Hyunjoon and Haknyeon, go gather points,” Chanhee starts, standing up and assuming emergency leadership as he turns to Hyunjoon, who’s still holding the fan under the ball. Hyunjoon hands it to him, pointing out the various height controls before taking off to gather them more points.

“Try giving him a nightmare, that might wake him up,” Chanhee suggests, earning a worried look from Changmin. Chanhee rolls his eyes.

“Getting cold feet now? He’ll be fine, Minnie, just do it,” Chanhee teases, trying to rile him up. Changmin rolls his eyes in return, turning to Jacob as he covers his eyes in dark purple magic. Three agonizingly slow seconds pass before Jacob suddenly springs awake, eyes wide and terrified.

“Kev!” he exclaims, fear palpable in his tone as Chanhee shoots Changmin a confused look. Changmin just shrugs. The nightmares aren’t specific, after all, but they’re supposed to hit home for whoever it’s being tailored to. And that means… 

“Um,” Jacob mumbles, breaking the tense silence. "What’d I miss.”

Chanhee gives him an exasperated look.

“I’m prying this out of you later. For now, we need to move,” Chanhee says, tone serious as Changmin’s camouflage starts to break. It doesn’t work against alert enemies, after all.

“Plug your ears,” Jacob orders, grabbing the fan from Chanhee to allow them to close their ears. Three teams are charging towards them as Jacob opens his mouth. Little bits of the melody he’s singing filters into Chanhee’s eardrums, sweet and siren-like as Chanhee feels himself drooping down. Someone pinches his arm, hard, startling Chanhee awake as Changmin hands him a pair of earbuds Jacob carries around for this reason. The other teams collapse, earning them a few points as they start to bolt. Chanhee glances at the leaderboard, finding them a few places behind and grits his teeth.

“We need more on the offensive,” Chanhee rationalizes. Jacob nods, echoing the sentiment as he turns the fan off, bumping it against his arm as he turns to the other two.

“Why don’t we go on the offence too?”

Chanhee grins, ecstatic with the idea as they start passing it around, using bits of magic to aid their hits as Jacob lines up for a spike. It intercepts four other balls, knocking them all to the ground as Changmin dives to save the ball with the fan, boosting it up high enough for Chanhee to pass it over to Jacob. They continue like that for the next few minutes, watching as their points continue to climb higher and higher, no one expecting anyone to actually play volleyball. Jacob is their ace in the hole, Chanhee thinks with a grin as he runs to chase the ball, already running through five others like bowling balls.

“Thirty seconds left!” an excited female voice announces. Chanhee looks back to the leader board, finding them a single place off of first. He grits his teeth, angling the fan to send it over to Jacob at maximum power. Someone tries to dive into it, only to be intercepted by Changmin as the ball flies into the air on contact with Jacob’s hand, tall enough for a spike shot and Jacob aims for three poor balls. With a nearly majestic spike, the ball smashes three more into the ground as TBZ flashes in first place, mere milliseconds before the horn sounds, signalling the end of the game. Chanhee pants, grinning from eye to eye as he runs to tackle Jacob and Changmin is the biggest hug possible.

“We did it,” Changmin breathes, jumping around excitedly as the sun starts to dip over the horizon. They’ve won two gold medals today, but equally beautiful as Chanhee feels pride swell in his chest, unbelievably happy.

“We did it!” Changmin exclaims, practically jumping onto the skyline as he celebrates. Hyunjoon and Hakneyon return soon, just in time for the big group hug as the stadium starts chanting.

“The Boyz! The Boyz! The Boyz!” They chant, increasing in volume as Chanhee finally registers their words. According to Sangyeon, the TBZ was more of a temporary name until they found their permanent one, but a small part of Chanhee starts to disagree.

The Boyz, huh?

The Boyz are coming for the Festival Champion title next.


	10. Great, Rich Assholes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Act 4: The Warlock Festival

The night after the first two rounds is spent in relative peace. They all had their rush of energy and exhilaration during the end of the day ceremony where Jaehyun and Jacob received medals on behalf of the team. Haknyeon even caught Eric and Kevin start to tear up then, drowned out by the sound of Sunwoo and Changmin whooping at the top of their lungs. Hyunjoon seems to be the only relatively calm person the entire time, although Haknyeon pulls him into the group hug of death soon enough. Cold types don’t last long, and definitely not around this team.

They decide to celebrate in Sangyeon’s room as it’s the biggest between them, indulging in the room service prize they won and even ordering flutes of champagne. Haknyeon is there to witness Eric argue with Jaehyun over the fact that he’s a legal adult, while Jaehyun just calls him a lightweight. He is, in fact, a lightweight, considering how he and Sunwoo collapse over each other a mere fifteen minutes in. Sangyeon got pictures, at least.

Haknyeon is rowdy with the rest of the boys, cheering and recounting the days’ events as they snack on their seventh order of fried chicken that hour alone. At some point Younghoon hides the phone from them to prevent them from overeating and celebrating, ever the responsible adult. He even refused to drink, but Haknyeon’s not sure if that has anything to do with Changmin’s story of how he, Chanhee and Younghoon got shitfaced and ended up jumping from the school’s bell tower into Mr. Kim’s escape room of death. They nearly got caught too, apparently. Haknyeon wishes he could’ve seen that one.

Some time around 9 PM, Sangyeon starts to send people back to their rooms to prepare for the next day, giving whoever was less drunk two white pills apiece. According to Younghoon, they cure hangovers like a slap to the face would cure drowsiness. Haknyeon is tasked with carrying an asleep Eric back to their room, having to pry him from Sunwoo’s death grip and being koala’ed within seconds. They must be a strange sight, Haknyeon lumbering around the hotel hallway, tipsy as a tiny human clung onto his left side like it’s a lifeline, snoring loudly. Haknyeon shoots a passing student a smile, ignoring her confused gaze. Out of the corner of his eyes, he sees her pinching herself. Haknyeon probably would too, if he were in her shoes.

In his glance, Haknyeon fails to catch an incoming body, slamming into it as they stumble, Haknyeon clutching his forehead as the other guy growls in anger. Haknyeon looks up, an apology spilling from his lips as he meets blood-red eyes, fuming with rage as an aura of crimson magic resonates around him. A spirit aura, Haknyeon notes.

“Watch it, jackass,” the spirit growls, looking like he’s about to snap Haknyeon in half. Haknyeon doesn’t flinch.

“Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going,” Haknyeon repeats, punctuating his words carefully as he holds his gaze steady. Well, as steady as he can tipsy and holding a tiny man-child on his left shoulder. The other spirit seems to shrink away for a fraction of a second as a hand snakes around his right bicep, dainty and gentle like a female’s hand. A girl peeks around him, an annoyed look on her face as she glares at Haknyeon. Her hair is up in twin buns, tied with ribbons as a tiara rests on the crown of her head. She looks eerily familiar, Haknyeon notes.

“You’re the one from that team, aren’t you? The one that won both rounds today?” the girl asks, sneering as she sticks her head into the air. Haknyeon frowns.

“Yeah? And?”

The girl rolls her eyes, finally coming out from behind the burly spirit. Her heels click against the wooden floor, ringing in the air as her whole body comes into view. She’s about a dozen centimeters smaller than Haknyeon, looking standoffish and snooty as she pokes at Haknyeon’s chest, nose still in the air.

“Don’t you know who you’re talking to? Trash like you have no right to even be in my presence. Bow before me, peasant, for you have no right to even look at Prestige Academies’ finest warlock,” the girl snaps, eyes twitching as Haknyeon scowls.

“I don’t know who you are, princess,” Haknyeon deadpans. The girl flushes, face reddening as she jabs her finger at Haknyeon’s chest again.

“You think you’re all that because you won, huh? What peasants. I can’t believe schools take in these fools when warlocks should only come from the elite. You have no place in our society,” the girl spits, huffing. Haknyeon raises an eyebrow, finally realizing who the girl was. Not exactly, sure, but he knew she was one of the Aristocrats. Ignorant and self-imposing fools who deemed themselves superior because they lucked in at birth. Haknyeon remembers having to work with some in his past life. Really, he hasn’t met a single decent Aristocrat, save for Kevin and Juyeon.

“Warlocks are made from their hard work and sense of justice, not money, princess. People like you will never become one,” Haknyeon says, tone clipped as he shoulders past her as she makes a strangled sound.

“What did you say, trash?!” she exclaims, the sound of magic whooshing in the air ringing from behind Haknyeon as he raises his hand, sucking in the magic. He doesn’t even look over his shoulder, all too aware of the offended look on the girl’s face. She yells something at her spirit, the ground suddenly thumping as Haknyeon feels the hair on the back of his neck rise. Before he can react, the sound of electricity and an anguished screech ripping through the air interrupts him. Haknyeon sighs.

“I hate those people,” Eric mumbles sleepily, nose buried on the small of Haknyeon’s back. Haknyeon pats him.

“Me too, buddy.”

Changmin’s bundle of nerves are akin to a tree branch flying around in a tornado as he straps his Pigeon Skewer onto his back. The weapon is cold against his back, touched with the slightest hum of warmth from Chanhee’s magic back when they forged their weapons together. Changmin focuses on it, trying to let his friend’s presence calm him as the faint sound of the crowd hollering outside trickles through the arena waiting room. Changmin inhales deeply.

“Nervous?” Juyeon asks, the very image of serenity as he tucks daggers and knives into his boots, arm braces and back. There’s a relaxed grin on his face as he throws Changmin a little pouch of sorts. Changmin grabs it, frowning as the scent of dried lavenders hits his nose, fragrant and sharp as it shakes Changmin out of his nerves.

“Mom used to make me them before big competitions,” Juyeon explains, sheathing his last dagger as he stands up, stretching. Changmin coughs as the scent starts to get overwhelming, tossing the pouch back to Juyeon.

“That thing could wake an army up,” Changmin mutters. Juyeon just laughs.

“That’s the goal! Come on, it’s almost time,” Juyeon says, extending his hand out to Changmin. Changmin takes it with a grin, following Juyeon as they face the arena door. Changmin draws a breath, steady and calm now as the door lifts, grating against the mechanism as sunlight hits him full force. Changmin is forced to squint, letting his eyes adjust as Juyeon nudges him to start walking. 

The crowd is cheering and chanting their team name, ‘TBZ’ echoing off the walls as Juyeon and Changmin take their position. Across the battlefield, two other boys stand side by side, both crouched into a ready position. One of them has a mop of pink hair somewhat similar to Chanhee’s and radiates an aura of sharp pink magic, condensing at his fingertips and dripping into a floating ball with a ring around it like Saturn. The other has locks of golden brown and a giant battle axe in hand, a cocky smirk on his face as he looks at Juyeon. Juyeon seems impassive about the whole situation, expression neutral.

“Welcome to the first match of the tournament, where two teams send a duo of warlock and spirit to fight to the death!” The announcer begins, cheerful and full of bravado as a maniacal grin spreads on her face. Changmin flinches, whirling his head over to find someone desperately pulling the announcer in to whisper something in her ear. The stadium erupts in a chorus of confusion before the lady clears her throat.

“I meant, until they can no longer fight. There is no permanent injury in this tournament, since everything is measured based on auras,” the lady corrects, something akin to disappointment in her eyes. Changmin is only slightly unnerved.

“The round will work as follows: The moment a fighter falls below a certain aura threshold, we will automatically remove them from the fight. When a team has no one left, they have automatically lost, eliminated from the competition. The winning team will move onto the second round, to be announced afterwards. In the event of a tie, the competition will be settled through a vote by the audience to see who they wish to move forwards.

“This competition oversees all fair rules as set out by the Board of Warlocks, which prohibits fatal blows or dirty cheats. We have a panel of judges on hand today to verify that,” the lady explains, voice booming through the stadium as the knot of nervousness retightens in Changmin’s stomach.

“Now, without further ado, I’d like to introduce our competitors today,” the lady beams, gesturing at Changmin and Juyeon first.

“Juyeon and Changmin of TBZ from Creker Academy,” she begins, turning to the other side. "And Minhyuk and Sanha of Astro from Fantagio Academy. Please, bow to each other.”

Changmin complies, folding himself respectfully as the other team does the same. They seem nice, Changmin notes. You have to fight them, his brain yells back.

“Now, let the tournament…” the lady begins, grabbing a gun from the table next to her as she holds it into the air.

“Commence!” she exclaims, shooting the gun as the brown haired guy—Minhyuk—charges forwards, battleaxe raised high over his head. Juyeon teleports a few feet behind, drawing his daggers as Changmin lets his magic run wild, fabricating an illusionary forest as he jumps to dodge the blade. The crowd gasps, holding their breath as Minhyuk pauses, gaze hardening as he whips his head around. He closes his eyes, starting to do something as Changmin recalls Younghoon’s briefing from yesterday’s prep session. Park Minhyuk, Astro’s Brawler who wields a massive battle axe and the power to move the Earth itself, known in their Academy for his signature Earthquake move. His spirit, a dainty boy named Yoon Sanha holds the power to control metal, acting as a giant magnet to move the bits of the Earth Minhyuk can’t. From Younghoon’s observations in the second round, Sanha is smart and agile, a force to be reckoned with. Changmin and Juyeon figure out a plan of attack before long, starting with this very illusion.

“I can’t sense you two, you’re not on the ground, are you?” Minhyuk yells into the forest, completely the wrong direction to where Changmin is hiding. A satisfied smirk spreads on Changmin’s face. His illusions have started to gain physical forms lately, albeit weak forms. Minhyuk, surely having realized this, starts slashing at the trees around him, shattering Changmin’s cover as Changmin bolts, jumping from branch to branch. In another part of the forest, a clang of metal on metal rings out, signalling another battle in progress. Brawler classes are predictable in that they stick together, much preferring strength in numbers and developing a sort of reliance on one another. Split them, and the machine is ten times easier to dismantle.

_ I can only give you a few more seconds,  _ Juyeon calls out inside Changmin’s mind. The name of the game is to be stealthy, so Changmin can’t risk even making a little bit of noise to alert Minhyuk. Without hesitation, Changmin darts onto a nearby tree branch, pulling out his weapon in rifle form as he takes aim, waiting for the precise moment Minhyuk turns around. Changmin pulls the trigger, letting the blast of pure energy pierce through the air as it hits Minhyuk’s back, forcing him to the ground as Changmin leaps from the trees, Pigeon Skewer clicking and rotating into a spear as he dives, meeting Minhyuk’s axe halfway through. The impact sends Changmin’s momentum upwards, which he uses to propel himself as the spear shifts into a rifle again, firing sporadically as Minhyuk rolls away, running into the forest. Changmin turns to Juyeon and Sanha’s battle, finding a dagger zip through the air as it lands on a tree trunk, much too close to Changmin’s position.

_ He’s realized it, quick!  _ Juyeon yells in Changmin’s mind. Changmin grits his teeth, pressing his palms together as he summons vines in the fake forest, hoping to trip the others while simultaneously catching his fall. He pulls out the rifle and spots Minhyuk running towards another clearing, probably searching for Sanha. Changmin takes aim, firing off another well aimed shot as this one impales into Minhyuk’s ankle, making him fall with a yelp. Changmin charges at him, knowing he has at most a few more seconds as he shifts his Pigeon Skewer into a spear, mere seconds away from impaling Minhyuk’s stomach and breaking the aura when a flying metal disk whistles in Changmin’s ear, alerting him and making him flinch. Sanha jumps out from behind a bush, metal orb spinning rapidly as the metal disk returns to it.

“Enough of this,” Minhyuk groans, slamming his hand onto the ground as it starts to rumble, shaking with tremors as Changmin’s illusions shatter. He grits his teeth. They were a few beats too late.

He shoots Minhyuk’s other ankle before he starts running, knowing he needs to take out at least one of the two contenders for Juyeon to stand a chance. With his teleportation, Juyeon can remain a safe distance away from the roaring earth while Changmin remains a sitting duck. Sanha can too, apparently, pulling metal from the earth to make a hover board of sorts as Minhyuk groans in pain. They exchange a look, an agreement passing between them as Minhyuk raises his hand, trapping Changmin in a fist of rocks and dirt. Changmin yelps, falling against the rock as his side explodes in pain. 

He’s slammed down with just as much force, aura on the verge of shattering as Minhyuk’s aura bar displays black, a sign of his elimination broadcasted into the world. Changmin’s own is deep burgundy, mere moments from shattering as he coughs, trying to keep consciousness while pulling himself out of the rubble. Juyeon and Sanha are dueling on the uneven ground, jumping from rock pillar to rock pillar as they fling metal at each other. At first glance, it seems Sanha has the edge, simply flicking Juyeon’s blades away while launching disk after disk of metal at him. Looking closer, Changmin can blearily make out the composed expression on Juyeon’s face and the bead of sweat running down Sanha’s forehead. A battle of attrition, Changmin realizes, because for every dagger Sanha intercepts, another strikes down and breaks one of his disks. Juyeon ultimately has more, even reusing old ones he snatched out of the air as teleporting from side to side, wearing Sanha down.

Changmin grits his teeth. He needs to help Juyeon, but every fibre of his body protests at any hint of movement. In the end, Changmin gives up on digging himself out, glancing worriedly at his slowly dwindling aura bar. No, he can’t just drop like this.

Mustering every last bit of energy he has left, Changmin summons a million imaginary blades just like Juyeon’s and flings them at Sanha. The illusions shatter on impact, no lasting damage but looking so real Sanha loses the ability to keep track of the real ones. Juyeon dives in at that moment, slashing away Sanha’s weapon as he jabs a dagger into Sanha’s shoulder. A shrill cry rings through the air as his aura shatters, tearing him away from the battlefield as Changmin’s own aura clings onto its final slither. Juyeon’s, on the other hand, was nearly full.

_ You’re getting the dangerous stuff next time _ , Changmin bites, faking annoyance as Juyeon chuckles through their telepathy link.

_ Sure thing, champ _ .

“So I’m thinking we send Eric in for the next round, let him have some action. He’s a brawler, after all. Surely this round was made for him, don’t you think?” Younghoon rambles, rattling off his notes on fighting styles, compatibility and power match up like a mad scientist describing his latest invention. Jaehyun, as the unofficial leader of the warlock half of their team, is the subject of Younghoon’s ramblings. Really, he adores his childhood friend, but Younghoon can get a little overexcited with this whole thing.

“I think a Brawler like Eric would do better in a team setting,” Jaehyun drawls, mouth half-full with fried chicken as he watches the interlude weight lifting competition for the eliminated warlocks. It’s quite competitive, actually, and much more interesting than strategy. Still, Jaehyun has a role to play today.

“Well Juyeon is off the table, since he just went, and as good as Sunwoo was against Hyunjoon that one time, I don’t think he’ll do well against SKZ’s warlocks. That leaves us with you and Eric, and no one reveals their ace now,” Younghoon points out, twirling his pen in the air. Jaehyun frowns.

“What about Kevin?” Jaehyun suggests. Younghoon raises his eyebrow.

“A support?” Younghoon asks, confused. "It’s a solo fight, Jae.”

“Oh Kevin can easily hold his own with proper motivation,” Jaehyun says, a mysterious smile on his face. Younghoon frowns.

“And where can we get that motivation?”

Jaehyun grins. “Leave that to me.”

Kevin wants to punch Jaehyun in the face.

Really, he wanted to when Jaehyun came to tell him he’d be competing in the warlock solo round, but shock and disbelief overpowered him into begrudgingly agreeing. It’s how he finds himself in the arena now, facing SKZ’s scary-looking brawler, Lee Minho. A part of him really wishes he had said no.

Realistically, Kevin knows he couldn’t have, especially when a certain someone is watching him with a giant hastily drawn banner and a giant, irresistible smile. In fact, Kevin isn’t the only one to know this, if Jaehyun’s constant inputs of ‘Jacob thinks so too’ and ‘Cobbie believes in you too’ are any indication. Really, the whole team must know of Kevin’s hopeless crush by now.

“Introducing Kevin Moon of TBZ, Creker Academy,” the announcer exclaims, gesturing at Kevin. Then, she turns to the opposite side.

“And Lee Minho of SKZ, JYP Institute.”

She holds a gun into the air, finger on the trigger as she beams at the crowd.

“Begin!”

Almost instantly, Minho charges at Kevin, a flail swinging wildly in front of him as Kevin barely has time to create a small shield and blocks the hit, sending him sliding backwards. Minho scowls. He whips it again, hand coated with magic as he launches a ball of green energy at Kevin, shattering his hologram and forcing Kevin to drop down to dodge the strike. Energy Manifestation, Younghoon called the power, creating physical forms of magical energy. Something akin to Kevin’s own magic.

Kevin starts to run, using his holograms to block incoming shots and creating walls to bounce off of, slowly gaining altitude as he tries to outrange Minho. Minho is having none of it, slamming his energy into the ground like a massive fan as he blows dust into the air, obscuring Kevin’s senses to stop him from running. Kevin makes himself a mask and goggles, blocking out the dust as he barely manages to block another hit, the force of this one sending him flying into his own holographic walls. Minho appears on a pillar of green energy himself, seemingly fuming.

“What’s wrong with you? Why won’t you fight back?” Minho yells, confused and annoyed. Kevin bites his bottom lip. He knows he can’t bring himself to harm another warlock without good reason, and really, he can’t justify a tournament as a good reason for himself. Kevin bolts, running and sliding around the arena as Minho continues to intercept him, running Kevin’s aura down little by little as the gap between them widens. Kevin knows he’s going to lose, but he can’t seem to ease the knot in his stomach.

_ Stop running away from your problems,  _ Jacob’s voice chides in the middle of Kevin’s battle, quietly fuming and laced with the tiniest hint of disappointment. Kevin’s heart drops making him lose concentration and getting hit, spamming into the wall.

_ I don’t want to hurt him _ , Kevin mentally yells back, rolling to dodge another strike as he keeps running. The crowd boos him for that.

“Why’s a support in the mix, of course the coward’s gonna run!”

“Stop running, you pussy!”

“What a bore!”

“What kind of warlock even are you?!”

Kevin’s stomach twists. His inner thoughts start churning, nulling his battle reflexes as Kevin’s aura depletes faster, the anger and frustration in Minho’s eyes just keep on raising.

“Fight back already!” Minho roars, rage consuming him as Kevin gets hit again. His aura’s in the red now.

_ It’s sport, Kev, you won’t hurt him _ , Jacob whispers, trying to sound gentle and comforting. Kevin can hear his frustration from a mile away.

_ I’ve hurt others in this ‘sport’ before,  _ Kevin mumbles back, dodging another flail. Energy flares inside of him, his magic screaming to fight back when Kevin wants to do anything but that. Jacob sighs in his head.

_ Then don’t think about him. Think about us, all cheering for you to win. Think of him like a stepping stone to the next part of the tournament _ , Jacob suggests, mentally wincing when Kevin gets hit again. Kevin grits his teeth, spitting out blood as he tries to stand up.

_ I’ll just let you down,  _ Kevin whispers back, glancing up to meet Jacob’s eyes from the stands. Jacob shakes his head.

_ You could never let me down. _

The flail comes, fast and powerful and Kevin knows he can’t take another hit. His aura is slipping, much too fragile now as Jacob’s words burn in his mind. He pictures the others, pictures them cheering and biting their nails over him as their shouts stand out in a crowd of boos. Kevin looks up, a new resolve in his eyes as he reaches up and catches the flail, creating a heavy holographic ball to fly back to Minho and hit him.

The crowd erupts at that, suddenly celebrating as Kevin pulls himself up, creating a hammer for himself. He pictures the scene from when he met Eric at the entrance exam, trying to summon the same courage as back then back into his veins as Kevin exhales, letting his magic take over as he charges. Minho grins at this, gladly meeting Kevin’s strikes with his own. Kevin summons a fan of blades, wielding them with magic as he starts to spin and slide them into strikes, flowing from one pose to another as he focuses on intercepting Minho’s swings. At some point, he gets two hits in, staggering Minho before Kevin jumps away, replacing his holograms with a deck of sharp cards. He flings them at Minho watching Minho try to whip his flail at Kevin again, only for the cards to trap them to the ground, rendering the weapon useless. Minho growls at this, manifesting more rough energy balls to fling af Kevin. Such was the downside of brawlers. They lack the need to study and investigate material to create more complex items.

Kevin is in his home field now, raising holographic walls from the ground as he starts to run and dodge Minho’s onslaught of energy orbs. He ends up on the top of the walls, nearly out of bounds before drawing the collected energy from his shock-absorbing walls, drawing from the same strategy as Sunwoo’s ultimate move. Instead of firing it, Kevin channels the newfound magic into a rocket launcher, launching it down at Minho as he lets gravity take over, pulling him back to the ground. On his way down, Kevin pulls out a series of smoke bombs, covering the battlefield and rendering it indecipherable to the human eye. Kevin dives into the smoke, using sensors he scattered with the smoke bombs to pick up where Minho is and launching a full body sized spool of rope, wrapping Minho tightly and rendering him paralyzed for a few seconds as Kevin charges from the smoke, a sword in hand as he drives it through Minho’s stomach, shattering his aura with a massive  _ boom _ as the smoke clears. Minho chokes, glancing up to meet Kevin’s gaze as a look of respect passes through his eyes.

And then, he fainted.

Kevin panics immediately, jumping to address Minho’s wounds as he summons up sprays and gels, supportive nature taking over. The crowd is cheering his name, but Kevin couldn’t care less as all of his worries come crashing down onto him. He hurt someone. Just like he thought he would.

“You should do that more often,” Minho mumbles, smiling weakly at Kevin as his eyelids flutter open.

“Don’t hold back.”

“Three more laps, you’ve got this!” Sangyeon calls out, encouraging his boys as they run laps around the garden. Team exercise, for bonding and physical training purposes. A loud groan echoes through the air, bringing a smile to Sangyeon’s face as he sighs. The sun is peeking over the horizon, barely morning on the mountainside hotel.

“Out training early?” a voice calls from behind Sangyeon, feminine and flat, no hint of genuine interest to it at all. The mark of a Prestige Academy member, Sangyeon thinks.

“Yup. Team needs to be in top condition, after all,” Sangyeon says, trying to keep the atmosphere light. The woman who approached him scowls. Her aura is powerful and fragrant, not the gentle soothing of a normal spirit guide but every bit the spitting image of one Sangyeon recognizes. He scowls internally.

“Why did you ever think training a team of peasants like that will get you anywhere? You should’ve joined us up in Prestige,” the woman drawls. Sangyeon rolls his eyes.

“I left the council to head a team of guardians and heroes, not Aristocrats looking to flaunt their money, unlike you, Jimin,” Sangyeon points out. Jimin scowls at him.

“One of your peasants hurt one of mine yesterday, not knowing his place. How could you guide such ignorant and disrespectful fools like that? Aren’t you ashamed?” Jimin hisses. Sangyeon smiles faintly, wondering which one of his boys did it.

“The only thing I’m ashamed of is ever associating with the likes of you,” Sangyeon says, walking away from his perch on one of the garden’s balconies. Jimin makes a strangled sound behind him.

“You will regret those words, Sangyeon! You  _ and _ your team of nameless wannabes!”


	11. Victory Comes on Swift Wings

In hindsight, Hyunjoon really should’ve worn his thicker socks today.

His legs are cold from running in ice the whole fight, breath ragged and heavy as he dodges another spiral of ice. The spirit he’s facing has a power identical to Jaehyun’s, but she’s probably a million times more aggressive. Hwang Yeji of team ITZY from JYP is a powerhouse all on her own. She’s a spirit of the team’s ace, armed with rotating circles of death and icy magic as she keeps on slamming it into Hyunjoon relentlessly. Hyunjoon pulls out a broadsword, slicing an advancing pillar of ice in half as he grits his teeth, jumping to reduce contact with the cold. It’s slowing his senses down too much.

Yeji flings an icicle at Hyunjoon, zipping through the air as it lodges itself in his blade, breaking the metal as Hyunjoon summons a fan of blades, launching them like arrows at the girl beneath him. She effortlessly glides away from them without a sweat, deflecting his blades to the side as she simply thickens her ice. Hyunjoon grits his teeth.

“Why don’t we end this now,” Yeji calls out, a smirk dancing on her lips as she pumps her fist into the air. Instantly, a cocoon of ice surrounds Hyunjoon, wrapping him in cold, frigid ice as he slams into the ground. Pain explodes in his body, wrecking every fibre of his being as Hyunjoon stifles a yelp. The cold seeps in, sucking away his energy as Hyunjoon grits his teeth, trying to summon a weapon, anything, to break himself out. Nothing materializes but his frosty breath and dwindling aura, too tired to try again.

_ Don’t you dare give up,  _ Sunwoo hisses in Hyunjoon’s mind, full of intent as a cold streak runs down Hyunjoon’s spine.

_ I can’t feel my legs,  _ Hyunjoon mumbles back,  _ I’m sorry _ .

_ You’re still in the fight _ , Sunwoo insisted. A part of Hyunjoon tries to fight again, summoning every last squeeze of magic at his disposal to make  _ something _ at the very least. Nothing comes out.

_ Do you know what made me win that time?  _ Sunwoo suddenly begins, a tone of urgency to his words. Hyunjoon hums a mental note of questioning.

_ I thought of the others, and how I couldn’t let them down. You’re different, sure, but surely you’ve got something to fight for, right? _ Sunwoo answers, a lilt to his words as Hyunjoon feels his fingertips numbing. At any moment now, his aura could shatter, eliminating him and TBZ too, by extension. He thinks back to the cocky grin on Yeji’s face when she wrapped him in the ice cocoon in the first place, so smug and confident she’d win. Hyunjoon’s stomach churns at the thought, anger heating his veins. He hates that grin.

_ I want to beat her _ , Hyunjoon hisses, renewed energy flowing through his veins as he lets magic hum through his body. A golden light drowns Hyunjoon as his magic kicks in at max potential, wrapping him in pure magic as the ice cracks, spilling into the air. Hyunjoon grits his teeth, letting his magic explode as his signature move—Blade of a Thousand Forms—rips through Yeji’s ice like a knife through warm butter. The ice shatters, exploding into a million pieces as Hyunjoon stares at Yeji with pure rage in his eyes, refusing to lose. He summons another giant batch of weapons, not realizing how closely they resemble each of his teammates’ weapons as he holds them at bay, glaring at Yeji.

“No, I don’t think I want it to end yet,” Hyunjoon announces, letting his scowl morph into a smirk as he launches the weapons at Yeji. Yeji summons her ice, trying to block the shot but Hyunjoon overpowers her, shattering her defence immediately as he drowns her in strikes, magic roaring in Hyunjoon’s ears. He refuses to let her win. Not today. Not ever.

_ I guess that works _ , Sunwoo mutters a smile on his face when Hyunjoon meets his eyes. Yeji’s bar is completely black on the screen, a sign of her elimination as the crowd erupts into cheers, chanting Hyunjoon’s name and ‘TBZ’ over and over. Hyunjoon grins.

_ I guessed it worked. _

Chanhee finds Younghoon training alone at lunch break. He’s striking thin air, hidden behind the back of the stadium and out of sight as he practices swipes and kicks, consulting his notes every few seconds. The bento box Chanhee bought earlier for Younghoon feels heavy in his bag, still warm from the microwave.

“Practicing?” Chanhee asks, breaking the silence as he snaps Younghoon out of his daze. Younghoon looks up from his notebook, eyes widening at the sight of Chanhee.

“Ah! Y-yeah… Just— practicing for later,” Younghoon stammers, biting his bottom lip nervously. Chanhee gives him a reassuring smile.

“You’ll do great, you know?” Chanhee says, smiling as he pulls out the bento box from his satchel. Younghoon shoots him a grateful smile.

“Thanks,” Younghoon mumbles, graciously accepting lunch as he plops onto the ground, already digging in. Chanhee smiles at him fondly, feeling his chest constrict ever so slightly. The feeling had always been there, of course, small and building. With the past few days, between watching Changmin in the first round and Younghoon spending hours and late nights preparing and analyzing the teams to increase their odds, the feeling is surging, ebbing and moulding into something… warm in Chanhee’s chest. The same feeling tingles his fingertips now, pulling out his own lunch to eat next to Younghoon.

“What did I ever do to deserve you and Minnie,” Younghoon drawls, mouth full of food. He seems to be dying over the taste, melting for the rice and teriyaki combo while Chanhee laughs.

“I just brought you food, Hoonie, don’t be dramatic,” Chanhee laughs, brushing it off. Younghoon hums.

“I’m being serious, Hee,” Younghoon points out, waving his chopsticks in the air as a smudge of sauce lingers at the corner of his lips. Cute.

“I love you two, you know that? My very bestest companions for life,” Younghoon exclaims, chest-puffing up as Chanhee’s heart squeezes. He said the ‘l’ word. In a platonic setting.

He doesn’t mean it like  _ that _ , right?

The fourth round is one between spirit guides and their anchors, meant to be a test for the entire team as the stadium watches the battle in tense silence. It’s the semi-finals now, only four teams remaining as Younghoon steps onto the arena. TBZ are the only ones cheering at this point, yelling encouragement and stirring the rest of the stadium into cheering and hollering. Younghoon feels his chest bubble in joy at the sound.

Younghoon knows he is screwed the moment Sangyeon even proposed the plan. It’s simple, really, just Sangyeon pulling the other pair into his Sanctuary. His magic dampeners will force the other spirit guide into a non-corporeal form, leaving the human Anchor for the chopping board as Younghoon beats her up. Simple, right?

Wrong.

See, the problem is that he’s up against the one and only Kim Yerim of Red Velvet of SM Uni. Younghoon has heard rumours of her petrifying her opponents with her gaze alone, sometimes even being mistaken for a warlock herself with how she handles herself on the battlefield. Even now, just staring at her from across the Sanctuary, Younghoon feels himself dying on the inside.

_ Three minutes before her spirit guide overpowers my spell _ , Sangyeon reminds Younghoon in his mind, another layer of pressure on his shoulder. The stadium surrounds him, Sanctuary only applying for the battleground he’s standing on. Three minutes to take down the nation’s most revered female Anchor.

No biggie, right?

Yerim is the first to charge, running at Younghoon with top speed as she throws punches, kicks and swipes at Younghoon. Hours of self-training and sparring comes back to Younghoon as he parries and blocks her attacks, managing to sneak in one or two light punches and kicks here and there. Yerim is fast and agile, her small figure darting between Younghoon’s grabs to hit him where it hurts most.

Younghoon gets his first opportunity when Yerim lands from jumping off of his back, locked in her movement for a brief moment as Younghoon drops into a crouch, extending his legs out to block her as she tries to land. With a swift kick, Younghoon sends her flying backwards into a nearby wall. A rapier manifests in front of Younghoon, a thin and long blade with spiderweb patterns of silver around the handle. With a start, Younghoon recognizes the blade to be Twilight Piercer, Sangyeon’s own weapon. It fits comfortably in Younghoon’s hand, light and easy to maneuver, yet Younghoon is still confused.

_ It’s time you get a weapon of your own, Younghoon _ , Sangyeon whispers in his mind. Younghoon beams.

He charges forwards, using the blade to break through Yerim’s weaker aura barrier as she teleports away, eliminated as the Sanctuary fades, revealing a very, very dissatisfied Spirit Guide. Without a word, she charges at Younghoon, a blade in her hand as she strikes. Younghoon parries it, feeling the rapier shift in his hand due to an inexperienced grip and the sheer force of the guide’s power. Sangyeon joins him, kicking her away as he grabs her blade, practically wrestling with her. The guide, sensing the one-sided fight, retreats and starts swirling magic around her. Younghoon gulps. He’s never seen another spirit guide’s magic before.

A storm swirls in the sky, winds whipping Younghoon’s face the storm starts booming, striking lightning into the ground as the guide grits her teeth. A particularly big bolt flies down at Younghoon, mere seconds away from hitting him when a body appears in front of him, aura shattering completely as Sangyeon flashes him one last encouraging smile, mouthing at him silently.

_ Go get her _ .

For a horrible moment, Younghoon is still, only stirred back into action when another lightning bolt forms. Younghoon yelps, diving behind a rock as lightning splits it in half, revealing Younghoon as panic surges in his chest. How the hell is he going to beat this woman? He’s a human, and she’s an all-powerful war veteran with thousands of years on him. Nothing Younghoon does is surprising to her. Younghoon’s thoughts drift to his teammates, always so strong and full of ideas as they hold out until the end. 

Younghoon can’t be the one to end that streak.

Another lightning bolt explodes the rock Yoonghoon was hiding behind, making him yelp.

Okay, he might end that streak.

Younghoon is just running now, trying desperately to find a way to the lady in the middle, but his thoughts are a jumbled batch of confusion, nothing coherent forming as panic drives Younghoon’s legs. He keeps running and dodging, but Younghoon knows he can't do it forever. He needs to fight back, but how? A knot ties in the pit of Younghoon’s stomach as he realizes just how hopeless the situation is. He can’t even move now, paralyzed with fear as he shakes uncontrollably. Younghoon is at a dead-end, knowing that there is absolutely nothing he can do.

“You can do it!” A voice hollers from the stand, piercing through the heavy silence befalling over the arena. Younghoon glances up from behind his last piece of cover, meeting Changmin’s determined eyes as he continues to yell and cheer for Younghoon. His energy and passions are infectious, drawing a bloom of warmth in Younghoon’s chest. It’s exhilarating, the way Yoonghoon’s adrenaline starts pumping in excess, steadying his nerves as Younghoon’s last cover is blown to smithereens. He doesn’t even flinch this time.

Clearing his mind from thoughts for once in his life, charging at the spirit guide as she flinches, the storm dissipating ever so slightly from her shock. She recovers quickly, parrying Younghoon’s strike as she starts to swing, trying to catch Younghoon. Younghoon thinks of the endless days he spent with his teammates, happy and precious memories driving his sword arm into moving as Younghoon lets out a guttural battle cry, letting all the memories he’s made over the past six years with his two biggest believers. The ones who had faith in him before anyone else really did, pushing Younghoon through his accelerated learning process and training for so many years. Really, Younghoon can’t imagine how he could’ve ever made it without them. Like a sailboat who finally had two gentle breezes in his sails, Younghoon feels like he’s practically flying.

A switch is flipped in Younghoon’s mind as soft realization dawns on him, powering his arm as Younghoon drives the magic rapier through the woman’s shoulder, making her aura shatter as Younghoon falls to his knees, chest tightening in disbelief. He looks up to find the crowd erupting into cheers, whistling and whopping for him as they all celebrate. Dead center of Younghoon’s attention are Chanhee and Changmin, grinning at him like fireworks as they wave giant signs for him. Younghoon chokes, feeling a tear slip past his cheek as he sobs, leaning against his new sword.

He did it.

He really did it.

Jacob is in no way surprised or bothered when a very tired-looking Juyeon shows up at his door, seeking refuge because some people are having a very long moment in his room. It’s nearly midnight at this point, so Jacob just lets him in without much fanfare.

“You good?” Kevin asks from his bed, giving Juyeon a sympathetic look. Juyeon shakes his head.

“I need sleep,” he drawls, instantly flopping on Jacob’s bed and passing out. Again, Jacob is absolutely not surprised. A soft snore rings in the air a few moments later, a testament to Juyeon’s exhaustion as Jacob chuckles at the sight. He drapes Juyeon with a blanket and tucks his head onto a pillow gently as he cuts off Juyeon’s snoring sound, turning to Kevin with a sheepish smile.

“Guess I’m with you tonight?” Jacob asks, voice small. Kevin seems to pause for a moment as if hesitating before nodding shyly.

“S-sure,” he mumbles, turning back to the book he’s been reading. Jacob joins him on the bed, resting his head in Kevin’s lap as he tries to peek at Kevin’s book.

“I was with Sunwoo and Eric earlier, supervising their pool challenge with the SKZ boys,” Jacob drawls, trying to start a conversation. Kevin hums in mild interest.

“Oh yeah? Anything interesting happened?” Kevin asks. Jacob just hums a negative.

“Not really. I mean, Minho was there, although he was snacking the whole time. Weird snack too,” Jacob recalls, scrunching up his nose as he remembers the little can of food in Minho’s hands. Kevin raises an eyebrow.

“Weird snack?” Kevin asks. Jacob nods.

“Yeah, I think it was cat food or something. So weird,” Jacob explains, chuckling to himself. An odd look passes through Kevin’s eyes as if realizing something. He’s adorable like this, hair messy and covering half of his eyes. His nose is scrunched up as it always is when Kevin is deep in thought, sending jolts into Jacob’s heart as he stares, wondering how such a pretty human exists.

“What are you doing, Jacob?” Kevin asks, sounding slightly panicked as he eyes Jacob. Jacob just smiles at him, patting his thigh to calm Kevin’s constantly worrying mind.

_ You’re pretty _ , Jacob whispers mentally like a secret. The flush that blooms on Kevin’s cheek is all the response Jacob needs.

Prestige Academy is possibly the most snobby and well-known warlock school in the entirety of Korea, known for its selective Aristocrat-only admission and reputation for being a general piece of work. Eric has been in contact with only two so far, but even he can agree.

So when it comes time for him to finally show them how wrong their world views are, Eric can’t help but vibrate out of his own body in excitement. After all, he’s back by a powerful team and a ridiculous competitive streak a mile long.

Problem is, these Prestige teams, they know how to fight.

The finale of the Sports Festival has TBZ against Prestige’s only team sent to this competition, a snooty team with a superiority-complex, who have trained their whole lives in the art of fighting and warlock work. Even their spirits are handpicked, meant to make sure the team is optimal in every way possible. Almost immediately, during the initial collision, both sides start to suffer heavy losses. Eric barely slips away, hiding behind Sunwoo’s barriers and fighting from a safe distance as he looks to their board with worry. Six have already dropped, half of their number out while the other side still has five out of ten. Kevin and Changmin were the first to go, prioritized for their more special and powerful abilities. Juyeon dropped trying to save Hyunjoon from an explosion, who in turn managed to bring two down before running out of aura himself. Haknyeon had valiantly absorbed the other team’s big burst of damage and supercharged Eric, at the cost of his elimination. The last to drop was Chanhee, who had simply been caught by a stray missile.

“We need a plan,” Eric mutters, banging his head against the little rock on the battlefield he’s hiding behind. Next to him, Jaehyun nods. The air is full of palpable tension as the hopelessness of the situation starts to seep in.

“We need to trap them. If Sunwoo can get one clear shot, we can win,” Jaehyun reason, looking over the rock as he raises his ice to block the other team’s attack. Jacob hums, grabbing the group’s attention.

“Jaehyun and Eric can run a distraction, try to draw them as close to the center as possible,” Jacob suggests, pulling out something from his pocket. Eric frowns.

“Isn’t that Kevin’s magic rope or something?” Eric asks. Jacob nods, a smile on his lips.

“I have enough in the roll to hold down two at most, so Sunwoo’s gonna have to be fast, okay?” Jacob explains, starting to unroll the rope as the group nods. They split up, Jaehyun taking the right three while Eric tries to chase down the two on the left of the battlefield. With an electric vigour in his veins and a bone to pick with this team, Eric charges headfirst into the fight, shocking and spinning webs of electricity at the opponents. Faint realization dawns on Eric when a familiar ball of light energy zips past his face.

“You!” Snow Queen yells, anger flaring in her tone as she recognizes Eric. Her spirit, a burly and giant-looking man glares at Eric, obviously not having forgiven him for paralyzing the poor guy. Eric flashes them a smile.

“Me!” He agrees cheerfully as he runs through the group, shocking and zapping them left and right. Snow Queen keeps on hurling balls of light at Eric, to no avail, while the spirit swipes wildly at him instead. He learned earlier that this girl was the other team’s ace, supposedly the most powerful ace the Aristocracy has this generation. She has no mercy and no predictability with her attacks, seemingly done following her emotions. Eric grins. He can work with that.

“So what’re you doing out here mingling with supposed trash like us, huh?” Eric taunts, hanging from his electricity web behind Snow Queen. She jumps, anger flaring up her neck as she whips a light ball at Eric. He dodges it, collecting the energy in his web.

“Stop talking to me! You are not worthy!” Snow Queen screams, switching to light laser beams and whips. Eric starts to stay a little further out of range.

“I’m just saying, if you want to keep your life middle and lower class free you shouldn’t even be here in the first place! Just an observation, though—“

An arrow whizzes past Eric’s ear, hot and bright from being the physical form of light. Eric gulps, frozen as Snow Queen glares at him.

“I am here to weed out little imperfections to my garden of powerful warlocks,” Snow Queen announces, lowering her bow.

“Trash like you have no place in our society. I’m here to put you all in your proper place,” Snow Queen continues, walking towards Eric. Eric tries to keep his face still as her spirit lumbers behind her, the very image of terror.

“You’re just a bundle of sunshine, aren’t you?” Eric jokes, a smile on his face as he holds his hands up. He tries not to eye the little strand of holographic rope in front of him, ready for the trap to be sprung.

“And you’re not as secretive as you think, Eric Sohn,” Snow Queen drawls, a mysterious smirk on her face. Eric cocks his head, confused. He needs to buy Jaehyun more time anyway, why not indulge in Snow Queen’s so-called secrets?

“I don’t have secrets,” Eric replies carefully. The girl just smiles.

“Yes, you do. Secrets that could ruin your whole life if they got out to the public, no? And your little friend? What would he think then?” Snow Queen says, voice dropping into a low whisper as a glint flashes through her eyes. The knot in Eric’s stomach tightens.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he growls, suddenly feeling defensive. A single phrase loops in his mind like a broken record.  _ She knows. She knows. She knows! _

“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” the girl says mischievously, taking another step forward. Eric forgets about the trap for a brief moment, almost not even realizing how close she is to the rope.

“You know that—“

A scream.

Two bodies hung upside down in a bunch of rope as three other slams into them, stuck into a giant ball of ice as Eric snaps out of his daze, a lump in his throat forgotten as Jacob throws Eric an intense glare.

“Now!” Jacob yells. Without missing a beat, Eric wraps the cocoon of ice in electricity, shocking them with every fibre of his being as he unleashes hell. One of the warlocks drop out, aura fizzling to zero before Sunwoo even has a chance to set up behind them.

“Get out of the way!” Sunwoo yells, giving them about half a second to duck before firing a concentrated blast of energy into the cocoon, shattering it and pulverizing the cursed team in one shot as their side turns black, nothing more than empty aura bars as fireworks explode. 

They did it.

They did it!

Eric gapes, not believing his eyes as he watches the whole stadium rise and starts furiously clapping. Whistles and whoops are heard everywhere, all coming together to lift Eric’s soul off the ground as he feels like he might combust. In his moment of joy, Eric immediately turns to Sunwoo, who’s staggering from the exhaustion of his power move, and tackles him with a hug. They fall to the ground with a thud, the sound drowned out by Eric’s own cheers and Sunwoo’s tired agreements. He’s happy too.

Jaehyun and Jacob eventually pry them off and help them up, only to be tackled in a giant group hug as eliminated teammates run back to the main field to celebrate. They get Sunwoo into position to toss him, chants of ‘Kim Sunwoo!’ ricocheting off the stadium walls as Eric beams, joy drowning out absolutely everything else. They really did it!

“And now I’d like to introduce you to the winners of this year’s Sports Festival, TBZ of Creker Academy!” the announcer booms over the speakers, loud and excited as the crowd starts a chant of their new full team name, ‘The Boyz’ piercing through the cold mountain air with such fervour, Eric wonders if his parents can hear it back in Seoul.

Jaehyun pulls him aside a few hours later as they come down after post-win high, a worried look on his face as he asks Eric what happened back in the arena. Eric hesitates, wondering if he should tell Jaehyun.

“It’s… actually I’m not really sure what it was,” Eric summarizes, trying to recall her exact words. Jaehyun just sighs.

“You froze though. Something must’ve happened,” Jaehyun insisted, pushing Eric as Eric bites his bottom lip in anxiety.

“I… I think she knows, hyung,” Eric mumbles, fear returning to his cheeks. Jaehyun curses under his breath.

“I don’t think we can go back, this summer.”


	12. A Slap and a Half

* * *

**SUMMER GALA RUMOURED TO BE HOSTING A SHOWCASE MATCH BETWEEN PRESTIGE TOP WARLOCK DUO AND A SURPRISING CHALLENGER**

By: Kim Chaewon (Warlock Digest)

SEOUL — The Summer Gala is back on our doorsteps again this year, and the hype couldn’t climb higher! Between the recent reveals of the Yoon family’s latest fashion designer, a controversial fashion student by the name of Lee Nagyung, and the news of the gala taking place on the Baek’s family secret summer home, we thought nothing could get the netizens buzzing more!

However, a recent interview with Mr. Baek reveals that the decision to hold the Gala at his estate had an ulterior motive—Prestige’s graduating class will be sending their top two aces to the Gala for a showcase match and official challenge. Quote: “...their [the challenger’s] families had been fighting to try and abolish the, frankly, utterly ridiculous selection process and systematic destructive practices of Prestige’s pre-uni education system.” 

Another exclusive scoop with Mrs. Baek, where this lucky reporter was even able to take a peek at her dress in its raw form (eek!) revealed even more incentive on this shocking announcement. Quote: “I was more than honoured to host Prestige’s downfall, if only to see them realize how vulnerable they are. After the upset at the National Sports Festival, it’s frankly prime-time to topple over the ridiculous separation between warlocks based on background.”

As of right now, nothing is known about the identity of these two challengers apart from the fact that they too come from the Aristocracy. It’s interesting to note that for the first time since when he was in his mother’s stomach, Lee Juyeon of the founding seven families will be making an appearance at the Gala. Again, nothing is confirmed, but one can only dream… 

A reminder to all that Warlock Digest will be holding an exclusive interview with the party coordinator this year, Mr. Kim Noah, in next week’s edition. Stay tuned!

* * *

“Home sweet home, huh?” Kevin mumbles to himself. Jacob looks up from his copy of Warlock Digest, the headlines still on his mind. Kevin is staring out the window of the limousine, the faint hum of the engine mixing with the drone of the A/C. From the front of the car, the Moon’s driver, a frail-looking man named Taeil, chuckles.

“Your mother has been very anxious for your return, master Kevin. I would expect a little more enthusiasm from you, no?” Taeil notes, turning down the stereo. They had been playing a collection of Beyonce’s greatest hits, but not even Kevin’s childhood crush could cheer him up.

“Mother is unbearable, Taeil. I simply dread having to meet her again,” Kevin retorts, voice tuned to his snotty ‘Aristocrat’ voice, as Jacob likes to call it. It’s complete with a passive but evident scowl on his face and bored eyes. He’s practicing, Jacob notes, but not even two decades of practice can hide how anxious he is. His fingers are toying with the smooth leather of the limousine, leaning against the car frame. Jacob feels bad for him.

“You have a spirit this time, master Kevin. Even more, you’ll be off to the Jang’s estate tomorrow morning for tea. She won’t cause a ruckus in public,” Taeil reminds him, glancing up to meet Jacob’s eyes in the mirror. Jacob flashes him an awkward smile. Kevin hums in acknowledgement, eyes still trained on the scenery flying by. Jacob snakes his hand onto Kevin’s and squeezes, hoping to be a sign of comfort. Kevin squeezes back.

“Plus,” Jacob says, trying to keep his tone light. "How bad can it be?”

Kevin scowls. “Mother is just the start of my problems, Cobbie.”

A part of Changmin had always known Juyeon was rich. He’s a part of the Aristocracy, after all, but Changmin hasn’t really paid any mind to his money save for swindling ice cream out of him. Really, if Juyeon is truly rich, Changmin’s obsession with pecan ice cream isn’t going to make a dent in his wallet.

This, of course, is reaffirmed when Changmin is stood in the front courtyard of the Lee Residence, mouth agape as Juyeon chuckles at him.

“Your place is so big!” Changmin yells, turning to Juyeon with pure amazement and excitement in his eyes. Juyeon rolls his eyes.

“This is my grandma’s place, it’s not even the main estate, Changmin,” Juyeon reminds him, rolling Changmin’s suitcase to him. Changmin ignores him, turning back to gape at the house. With an excited grin, Changmin jumps and shifts into an owl, flying into the air as he tries to survey the house. The house alone seemed to be the size of a small soccer field, spanning three stories high and decorated with Victorian-style balconies and archways. A sprawling garden extends behind the house, probably twice the size of the house itself. A hedge maze is in the center of it, a giant pagoda in the middle of it. Changmin blinks with his large owl eyes, beak open as he spots a small girl, probably around eight years old, excitedly bouncing on the third-floor balcony.

“Juyeon-oppa!” she yells, a childish joy to her tone as she waves a giant teddy bear in one hand. Juyeon’s little sister, Changmin recalls, watching as Juyeon waves back. His butler (one of three, apparently, which Changmin finds ridiculous) is helping carry Juyeon’s and Changmin’s luggage inside as a woman steps outside from the house. She’s wearing a pair of sunglasses and a dress Changmin can only describe as rich people attire, a pleased smile on her face. Juyeon has a good relationship with his mother, apparently. Maybe not all aristocrats are assholes.

Bumbling out from behind her is a pair of boys, each about eight at most, barreling at top speed as they wave toy sabres in the air, donned in pirate clothing and an eyepatch each. Jabbing and poking at him, one of them beams at Juyeon with an evil smile.

“The warlock has returned to take away our treasure, hasn’t he?!” one of them declares, jabbing at Juyeon’s chest. Juyeon, to his credit, fakes a gasp and even kneels, pretending to be injured.

“Oh no, you got me,” Juyeon deadpans in the most monotone voice humanly possible, clutching at his chest. He’s a terrible actor, Changminn cringes.

“Haha! You will never take our princess, warlock!” the other boy declares, jabbing at Juyeon again. From the porch, Juyeon’s mother sighs.

“Boys, leave your cousin alone. Go play with the butler or something,” Juyeon’s mother chides, stepping in to pick up one of the boys. They run off, probably to harass the poor butler as Juyeon stands up, dusting his knees from dirt. He looks up at his sister on the balcony, giving her a wink. The girl squeals, turning around to head into the house. Juyeon’s mother sighs.

“Home for one minute and you’re already dirty,” she mutters, dusting off Juyeon’s jacket. Juyeon just smiles kindly at her. He’s about two heads taller, but he’s graciously leaning down to let his mother dust off his jacket. Changmin almost ‘aw’ed out loud.

“Where is that spirit of yours, by the way? He’ll be able to catch up on enough to head over the Jang’s for crochet, right? We haven’t had a non-Prestige spirit in so long, darling,” Juyeon’s mother muses. Juyeon glances up, meeting Changmin’s eye as he shoots him an apologetic look.

“He’s not an animal to ogle at, mother. I was thinking of keeping him here tomorrow, show him the ropes beforehand,” Juyeon drawls slowly, eyeing his mother. She frowns.

“But I already told the Jang’s he’d be coming! Their daughter is a spirit scholar, you know, and I can’t just pass her upon such an opportunity!” Juyeon’s mother exclaims, hand cupping her cheek as she frowns. Juyeon sighs.

“It’s okay, I’m sure I can run him through them quickly tonight,” Juyeon tries, glancing up to meet Changmin’s owl eyes, gaze dripping with a silent apology.

 _It can’t be that bad, right? It’s just tea,_ Changmin whispers in Juyeon’s mind.

_Oh no, the tea party is the least of our problems._

After nearly three hours of briefing Changmin on who’s who in the complicated mess that is the Aristocracy, as well as a crash course on how to avoid the troublemakers in the area, Juyeon collapses on his bed with a sad sigh. Changmin, who is dutifully reviewing his notes as if he was studying for a big exam, looks up at Juyeon with a teasing smile.

“Aren’t I supposed to be the one on information overload here?” Changmin asks, somehow ridiculously calm. Juyeon purses his lips.

“There’s so much more, I’m just trying to pick the essentials. Like, it’d be handy to know not to ever mention a man in front of Roh Jisun, or you’ll get your neck chopped, but you’re a male yourself, so that’s redundant. There’s also the Kwon’s, who is a little obsessed with exotic animals and won’t hesitate to try and capture you, but I think it’s just one of the cousins coming tomorrow. Soonyoung only indulges in tigers,” Juyeon rambles, starting to count on his fingers. Changmin is scribbling more onto his notepad, diligently studying as Juyeon sighs, arms draped over the bed.

“I’m just worried about you, Minnie,” Juyeon mumbles. Changmin rolls his eyes, tossing a pillow at Juyeon. Juyeon catches it by reflex, jerking upwards as he eyes Changmin, confused.

“Please, I listen to Chanhee ramble about celebrity gossip all the time. If I can remember fifty fashion designers and their collective brain fry drama web, your Aristocracy has nothing on me. Plus, it doesn’t even sound that bad, to be honest,” Changmin retorts, holding up his pad. There’s a bunch of diagrams and bullet point notes, ledge smudged with random doodles and Juyeon feels his breathing even just a little.

“Anyway, it honestly just sounds like I need to avoid everyone at all cost. Binnie and Cobbie’s there tomorrow too, I’ll be fine,” Changmin says, a bright smile on his face.

“What’s the worst that can happen?”

* * *

**JANG FAMILY TEA PARTY TURNED INTO A STAMPEDE AFTER BAD REMARK ON THE KWON FAMILY HEIR**

By: Kim Chaewon (Warlock Digest)

BUSAN — a mere ten days before the biggest event of the summer, the Jang family had decided to host a tea party to celebrate their daughter’s return to the country after studying abroad in Europe for three years. However, attention was far from her, all gathered on two spirits attending that day. As the first non-Prestige spirits the Aristocracy has seen in over a decade, everyone’s eyes were glued to the door when the Moon family and the Lee family pulled up to the driveway. Both had stuck to their warlocks and each other for most of the party, so not much was known about them.

The highlight, of course, is when the Kwon family heir Kwon Soonyoung approached one of them for a friendly conversation. Changmin—the spirit—had apparently mistakenly called Kwon’s outfit leopard print, and all hell had broken loose. A powerful warlock with no formal training, Kwon had unleashed a stampede of tigers over the estate as he called Changmin an uncultured brat.

Thankfully, two of Chanmin’s teammates, Kevin Moon and his spirit, Jacob, had managed to tame the herd and Kwon Soonyoung through a powerful sleeping spell and some tiger hoarding. All was well for the most part, save for Changmin’s newfound reputation as the Unleasher of the Tigers. It seems he wasn’t quite prepared for the party. This will surely reflect badly on the Lee family and his warlock, Lee Juyeon. Who knows what might happen in the future?

* * *

 _Beep_.

_Beep_.

 _Beep_.

_Bee—_

A gasp.

“Minnie oh my god I just saw the article are you—“

 _Sniff_.

“—not okay. Okay, deep breaths. In for four, hold for three and exhale for six, remember? I’ll count,” Younghoon’s voice echoes from Changmin’s phone, which is barely pressed up to his right ear. Changmin is curled up in a ball in the corner of Juyeon’s room, trying to hide while Juyeon pacifies his mother. Her screams are loud, piercing through the floorboards and biting at Changmin as he shakes. He messed up. He messed up in every way possible and now Juyeon’s facing backlash and—

“Inhale. One. Two. Three. Four.”

Changmin’s blood roars in his ears. He can’t think about anything but the screams of the party guests when Kwon Soonyoung started summoning tiger spirits out of thin air. Changmin’s breath shakes, uneven and barely staying in his lungs while Younghoon counts. He made it all happen. All because he was too careless and didn’t notice that the stripes were tiger stripes and not leopard prints and made a big mess and—

“Hold it. One. Two. Three.”

Younghoon’s voice is an anchor to Changmin, grainy texture over the phone somehow even more solid for Changmin as he holds his breath. Kevin had swung into action immediately, pulling out a large hologram of an elk as he directed the tigers outside. Juyeon and Changmin had fallen on rescue duty after the initial shock had worn off, making sure no one got maimed while Jacob pulled out his guitar. After Soonyoung had fallen asleep and his rage settled, the crowd started whispering and pointing at Changmin. Juyeon was fuming at that point, even yelling at one of the partygoers for saying that it was Changmin’s fault and storming out of there, Changmin’s wrist in his hand. Problem is, it was Changmin’s fault.

“Exhale. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.”

Changmin sighs, feeling his chest start to stabilize to slow as they keep cycling through his breaths. At some point, Younghoon stops, just letting Changmin stabilize while he stays quiet. Changmin wants to reach out and hug him, kissing his boyfriend stupid for being so calm and patient with him when he messed _everything_ up. Changmin supposes he wasn’t there. An article posted a mere two hours after the event can’t have included that much detail, right?

“I’m a failure,” Changmin mutters. On the other end, Younghoon hums a sad note.

“You’re not. It’s rich people, Minnie, no one keeps up on their first day,” Younghoon says soothingly. Changmin bites his bottom lip.

“Cobbie did,” Changmin argues. Younghoon just sighs on his end.

“You just got unlucky, Minnie, it’s not your fault,” Younghoon drawls, voice soft and words slow as a means of comfort. Changmin sniffles, about to reply when the door creaked open. There’s no more screaming from downstairs, Changmin realizes.

“Minnie?” Juyeon’s voice echoes from behind the door, barely creaked open as his head sticks in. Changmin looks up from his curled-up position on the bed and meets his eyes.

“You okay?” Juyeon asks. Changmin hesitates, biting his bottom lip before nodding. He gestures to his phone, to which Juyeon mouths a quiet ‘ah’ at. He steps out, shutting the door behind him.

“Can you… distract me?” Changmin asks. Younghoon hums an affirmative back, sending jolts down Changmin’s spine as he revels in how lucky he is to meet such kind people. It doesn’t matter if ninety percent of the Aristocracy thinks he’s a bumbling baboon.

Because the people who truly mattered to him don’t.

“Why do you need two hours to look at suits. It’s just a suit. What even is there to differentiate?” Jacob wonders aloud, watching in mild confusion as Kevin shows him their plan for today. One of the new-blood families of the Aristocracy is having an open showcase for their summer collection for male formal attire, and Kevin is to come with his mom to the event. Jacob finds it ridiculous that they can have a two-hour fashion show on suits.

“They’re made specially or whatever, I don’t know,” Kevin replies, shrugging as he adds the event to his planner. He’s neat and organized, down to the minute with his scheduling sometimes.

“Why’d you volunteer to go then?” Jacob asks eyebrows scrunched together. Kevin sighs.

“Their designer this summer, this girl named Lee Nagyung, is gonna hook me up with a suit for the Gala since Mom’s being salty. We go way back,” Kevin explains, pulling out his highlighter to mark off his two-hour block. Jacob winces, thinking back to the first night he spent at the Moon residence. 

It’s no secret to the tabloids and magazines that the Moon family is strict and has high expectations for their only son, Kevin. Jacob realized the full extent of it when Kevin’s mother practically jumped on him with disappointment, berating him from not getting a perfect score in Curses (Ms. Ahn never gives perfect scores) to criticizing his performance at the festival (which Kevin won, despite being in a complete disadvantage class-wise). She’s subtle yet harsh with her words, passing most off as off-handed comments over dinner. Kevin had left early, not even finishing his dinner to avoid his mother. Jacob had always wondered why Kevin didn’t have his mom’s number on his phone. He supposes it’s rather obvious now.

“Your mom is scary,” Jacob notes, finally addressing the elephant in the room they’ve avoided for the past two days. Kevin grimaces.

“Yeah, she is. I’m just glad Dad’s not here too,” Kevin mutters, fiddling with his fountain pen. Jacob frowns, chest aching with sympathy as he reaches out and pats Kevin’s hair gently. He wishes he could do more, the extent of his power limited to steering Kevin away from his mother as much as possible and spending every second Kevin’s mom is around whispering comforts in Kevin’s mind. He’s grown adept at masking his voice as simply a part of Kevin’s subconscious, trying to worm in some self-confidence for Kevin. It’s working, even if the change is minuscule.

“I’m sorry you had to grow up with this kind of people,” Jacob whispers, a heavy heart in his chest as Kevin waves him off.

“They were better when we were in Canada,” Kevin muses, a faraway look in his eyes.

“The Aristocracy here… it changes you. Mom used to just be a little enthusiastic about my good grades. Now, I can’t slip or everyone will think we’re going downhill. Here, respect is everything, and my family hasn’t earned that. They even rebelled, sending me to Creker instead of Prestige, you know?” Kevin drawls, a sad smile on his face.

“I think that was the only good thing they’ve done since we came here,” Kevin mumbles. Jacob frowns, standing up and pulling Kevin from his chair and onto the bed as he pats Kevin’s hair gently.

“We’ll be fine. It’s just until the gala, right? We’ll go back to the dorm after, okay?” Jacob whispers, trying to lace his words with the spirit song of hope. He’s not fond of using emotional magic on Kevin, but the past two days have been… harsh, to say the least. Jacob wonders how he got through so much of his life like this.

 _You’re too nice to me, Cobbie_ , Kevin whispers in his mind. Jacob smiles.

_You deserve the world._

* * *

**MOON FAMILY MISTRESS SLAPPED AT YOON FAMILY FASHION SHOW**

By: Kim Chaewon (Warlock Digest)

SEOUL — The Yoon’s fashion showcase for their summer male formal attire had many swooped off their feet in awe and wonder, but today’s showcase included an even more shocking event.

Mrs. Moon, a renowned leader in managing Moon Enterprise for her sharp tongue and no-nonsense attitude is also widely known to be incredibly strict. Ever since the event only known as the Gala Spatula Fight in which her very own son Kevin Moon had nearly decapitated his high school friend lashing out at his mother, this reporter had kept a very keen eye on this lady. While completely magic-less like the rest of the Moon family, save for Kevin Moon, Mrs. Moon is armed with a much more terrifying weapon—her words.

Such words were most likely exchanged today when the mother-son pair was found outside during the afterparty. Kevin Moon was found talking to the Yoon family designer and his old friend Lee Nagyung when Mrs. Moon showed up. According to eyewitnesses, she had refused to let Kevin Moon attend the Gala due to some unknown reason and had refused to give him a costume for the night. He had apparently sought out a friend instead. In what seemed like the build-up to another Gala Spatula Fight, the tension finally snapped when Kevin Moon’s very own spirit seemed to have had enough, slapping Mrs. Moon hard. The entire courtyard had gone silent from that moment when Kevin Moon was dragged away, a suit in hand.

An interview with Lee Nagyung herself confirmed the story heard over the one-sided argument, as well as confirming the fact that Kevin Moon will most likely not be staying with the Moons for the rest of his summer break. According to Lee Nagyung, he will most likely be returning to the dorms after the Gala.

It seems Kevin Moon will be confirmed on the Gala’s guest list, regardless of his mother’s claims. Rumours have started to circulate about where he is now, although most can assume he is now with his friend and teammate Lee Juyeon at his residence. With two scandalous acts in just the span of two days, it’s no wonder why these two spirits are the first non-Prestige spirits we’ve seen in almost a decade. With the Summer Gala coming in just under a week, make sure to keep an eye out. Who knows what might happen between the guests from now until then.

* * *

“So…”

“So.”

Juyeon gulps, setting down his mug.

“You slapped her,” Juyeon notes. Jacob nods, sipping his tea with absolute ease. A small hint of fear and respect tugs at Juyeon.

“I’m amazed, frankly,” Juyeon drawls, picking up his mug of hot chocolate. Kevin and Changmin are in the living room, living their best life playing Mario Kart with Juyeon’s little cousins. Jacob is smiling fondly at them and Juyeon can only watch in mild awe at how calm he is considering he just slapped one of the most imposing figures in South Korea mere hours ago.

“I try my best. How long do you think we can avoid her for?” Jacob asks, turning to Juyeon, biting his bottom lip. Maybe not so perfectly composed after all.

“I estimate three days, tops. I can turn her away and buy you maybe an extra day, but Mom will kick you two out by then,” Juyeon sighs, stirring his mug. Jacob winces, an expression of worry finally fluttering over his features.

Suddenly, a small, feminine voice interrupts them.

“Why don’t you just go to the Baek’s?” Mirae, Juyeon’s little sister, proposes, seemingly coming from nowhere. Juyeon jumps, not noticing her presence as he clutches his chest, eyes rolling back in relief.

“Mimi, don’t use your invisibility like that. Eavesdropping isn’t polite,” Juyeon chides, watching as she materializes before his eyes with an apologetic look on her face.

“Sorry,” she says sheepishly. Jacob waves her off.

“It’s fine. What were you saying about the Baek’s though?”

Mirae’s eyes light up.

“The Baek’s are like the most awesome people around. I know their daughter, Jiheon, and she tells me her parents have been rooting for you four ever since Changmin saved her from a tiger at the tea party. Mrs. Moon won’t challenge the hosting family and likely won’t even look for you guys there. It’s perfect!” Mirae exclaims, clapping her tiny hands together. Juyeon’s eyes light up.

“Great! You guys can leave tomorrow night, lower your chances of getting caught. You’ll be in place for the Gala, too. It’s perfect!” Juyeon reasons, watching as Jacob grins, wide and joyful. He jumps up, wrapping Mirae in a loose hug as he whispers high pitched ‘thank you’s to her.

It seems that finally, things seem to be looking up.

Jaehyun shudders, feeling a chill run down his spine as his hands leave the blueprints in front of him for a moment, coming up to rub at his arms. From across the table, Sangyeon looks at him curiously.

“What’s wrong?” Sangyeon asks. Jaehyun shrugs, frowning.

“Felt a chill. Like someone was jinxing me or something,” Jaehyun mutters. Sangyeon frowns.

“It’s probably nothing. Come on, we need to find an entrance soon.”

Jaehyun sighs, scanning the map in front of him again, staring intently at the red circle in the middle of it, arrows pointed towards a specific room. They don’t have any time to waste.

“Yeah, let’s get back to work.”


	13. Didn’t Expect That, Did You?

Haknyeon is beyond enthusiastic when he learns he’ll get to spend an entire summer just lazing around at the dorms. Chanhee had promised to show him where all the little hidden spots and cool corners of the Academy are, from secret rooms of Mr. Kim’s old escape puzzles to giant dead Shadow creatures stuffed in school supply closets. Eric and Jaehyun aren’t going home because their parents are planning to spend the summer in the States, city-hopping and doing god-knows-what, so Chanhee and Haknyeon are stuck at school by extension. The others have gone home, Sunwoo and Younghoon go home to their families for some chill time, extracting promises from Haknyeon and Chanhee to text them if they find something cool exploring Academy grounds. Creker is a new school, sure, but it was once the headquarters of the warlocks back when the Neverending war reached this deep into the country.

Kevin and Juyeon get the bad end of the summer, having to go back to the Aristocracy to attend the Summer Gala. According to Eric and Chanhee, both of whom spend way too much time keeping up with celebrity gossip, the Summer Gala is the biggest event of the summer. An exclusive ball for the Aristocracy, most commoners only get to see the ball through the lens and words of the few journalists the hosting family trusts. Haknyeon doesn’t care for it much, save for when Changmin and Jacob star in the articles. Really, Haknyeon was absolutely enthralled and utterly proud to see Jacob making headlines for slapping Kevin’s mom. From what he’s heard, she deserved it.

Unlike their eventful lives, however, Haknyeon lives out a much more adventurous one. Eric tags along to most of their expeditions, often the one to accidentally stumble on most of the escape rooms they find. They become a fantastic trap solving team, one good enough to make Mr. Kim proud. He’s still on campus, annoyed at first when he finds the three of them stuck in his elaborate handcuffs or hung upside down over a pit of shadow piranhas. Over time, Haknyeon would like to attribute his natural charm (and them managing to solve a third-year puzzle first try) to slowly making Mr. Kim warm up to them. Probably exasperated at some point, he gives them a spare key to the weapon shed over the promise of leaving his traps alone for the rest of the summer. Seeing as how the weapon shed probably holds over a thousand kinds of weapons, the trio is happy with the trade.

Jaehyun, ever the overachieving workaholic, spends his summer chasing some theory about Haknyeon and Hyunjoon’s last assignment. Sangyeon helps him, both apparently restless with what the mission had implied. It was a simple mission, really, to infiltrate and capture a base of Shadows Sympathizers and end the reign of terror that was conducted by their leader, an inventor for the crime network by the name of The Chemist. In the end, no one had survived the explosion that destroyed the lab, save for Hyunjoon. End of story. Haknyeon files the failed mission in the crevices of his brain, not really caring about it.

Problem is, Jaehyun raised a good question approximately two days before summer vacation started, and now Haknyeon can barely  _ not _ care about it.

“What were they making?” Jaehyun wonders aloud, a piece of salad hanging out from the corner of his mouth. Haknyeon looks up from his own midnight snack, frowning.

“I don’t know. Some kind of serum. The spirit who exploded the place stabbed itself with it, turning all purple and gross before exploding,” Haknyeon recalls. Jaehyun frowns.

“How would that even work? Spirits don’t just turn purple and explode,” Jaehyun points out, stabbing his tomatoes. Haknyeon pauses, slowly nodding as realization dawns on him.

“It’s almost like…” Haknyeon begins, turning to Jaehyun with widening eyes.

“It became a shadow!” they exclaim at the same time, standing up and gaping.

“But how? Doesn’t that mean a shadow is a spirit with some… gunk injected into it?” Haknyeon asks. Jaehyun frowns, scratching his philtrum as his eyebrows knit together.

“Or what if it’s the opposite,” Jaehyun guesses, pursing his lips. Haknyeon frowns.

“The gunk is a spirit with a shadow in it?” Haknyeon asks, still confused. Jaehyun snorts, shaking his head.

“No, a spirit is a shadow  _ without _ gunk in it,” Jaehyun reasons, suddenly slamming his fist into his palm.

“Think about it,” Jaehyun proposes, suddenly starting to walk out of the kitchen. Haknyeon follows, grabbing his granola bar as he runs after Jaehyun.

“An out of control spirit starts turning purple after three days. If it’s not grounded to humanity by then, it just disappears, right?” Jaehyun drawls, running up the stairs as Haknyeon nods.

“But what does that have to do with shadows?” Haknyeon asks. Turning to him with a grimace, Jaehyun sighs.

“It means spirits can die. Shadows don’t disappear when they’re killed. They always leave behind a short burst of light when they die, don’t you find that weird? Creatures of darkness, yet light is left behind? And surely you’ve seen where that explosion of light goes,” Jaehyun explains, gesturing at Haknyeon as he lets Haknyeon piece it all together. Haknyeon gapes, eyes widening.

“The light returns to the Spirit World, where the Spirit king makes a new spirit from what’s left. That—that must be a purified form of a shadow!” Haknyeon exclaims, watching as Jaehyun nods grimly.

“What if the gunk was a way to reverse that process, turn the spirit back into a shadow?” Jaehyun says, his voice small as the realization hits Haknyeon like a ton of bricks. He gapes, unable to say anything.

“We need to tell Sangyeon,” Haknyeon chokes. Jaehyun nods.

“And you need to tell me how to get back to that lab.”

  
  


**IDENTITY OF MYSTERIOUS CHALLENGER FINALLY HINTED AT?**

By: Kim Chaewon (Warlock Digest)

SEOUL — in a recent interview with the party coordinator of the Summer Gala, Noah Kim, he generously gave us a small spoiler about the show match. After what seemed like endless beating around the bushes, Kim finally revealed the tiniest of details about the challengers—one is a Brawler class while another is an Ace class. Nothing more is known about them, save for the fact that they have an invitation to the ball.

Kim also revealed that the challengers’ identities will not be known the entire fight, hidden behind masks to hide their identity. Apparently, their family is trying to keep them a secret. According to Kim, no one knows about the true identity of the challengers.

With such little detail, it’s incredibly hard to guess who they might be. After all, there are hundreds of Aces and Brawlers out there! Kim refuses to give any hint on their powers too, telling this reporter to wait and see.

A reminder to all that the Gala will be starting tomorrow afternoon. Warlock Digest and reporter Kim Chaewon will be on-site, live-tweeting the event on our official Twitter account. The summer’s biggest event is about to commence, so what are you waiting for? Get ready to tune in, everyone!

A mere ten minutes after the gala starts, Juyeon is already swarmed by a million people. Questions and jabs at the whereabouts of his ‘runaway’ teammates are thrown everywhere, ranging from whether or not Jacob and Kevin are showing up at all to where they’ve been for the last week. Changmin, ever the great spirit that he is, creates a cloak over them and points out a hidden overlook for Juyeon to teleport them to, running from the paparazzi. Journalists and reporters are a must, seeing how big this event is, but Juyeon can’t help but despise them anyway. Nosy and annoying, they seem to know everything and have no shame butting further into Juyeon’s business. Vultures, the whole lot of them.

“When do you think they’re gonna show up?” Changmin whispers, scanning the crowd to see if Kevin and Jacob have mixed into the crowd somehow. Juyeon opens his mouth, about to respond when a loud heel click catches his ear. The musicians start playing, signalling the official start of the gala as the Baek family walks out of the giant oak doors that separate the ballroom from the rest of the house. Juyeon holds his breath, anticipation pooling in the pit of his stomach as Mr. and Mrs. Baek walks down the staircase. The press is eating up their costumes, some regal but sophisticated Korean hanboks, looking like kings and queens as they step into the ballroom. 

Behind them, trails their only child, Baek Jiheon, with a hanbok so massive Juyeon thought it’d drown the poor girl. Graduating from high school next year, the whole crowds’ eyes are on the Baek heiress as she finally walks through the door and into the ballroom light. She commands the room’s attention, charisma rolling off of her as she walks down the staircase. Behind her, a long train of lace and flowers hangs from her headbands, seemingly a mile long as she steps. When the end is finally near, two figures rush to grabs the end, helping tidy it up as Jiheon’s mother removes her train, a symbol of removing the burdens of the world to enjoy one night dancing under the stars. The train is yanked back through the oak doors, the two tidying figures disappearing out of sight as Mrs. Baek gestures to the crowd, a wide smile on her face.

“Friends, family and those watching our festivities,” she begins, voice booming and excited as she opens her arms. "Welcome to the Summer Gala!”

The crowd erupts into cheer, clapping excitedly as Mrs. Baek gestures something at the door behind her. Two figures emerge, one holding a red velvet cushion carrying a golden tiara embroidered with jewels. The Gala tiara, symbolizing the joy this night is supposed to bring. It’s beautiful, drawing everyone’s attention as a gasp rings through the crowd. The crown is pretty, sure, but everyone’s seen it their entire life.

No, the subject of everyone’s attention is Kevin Moon, a beautiful navy three-piece suit on him as he walks with the cushion down the stairs. His hair is slicked up, decorated with what looks like tiny flowers and glitter as he seemed to be glowing like a spirit. Next to him, Jacob is wearing the same outfit, although it’s black. No one says anything, too shocked to recuperate as Mrs. Baek takes the crown from Kevin with a smile, placing it gently on Jiheon’s head before turning to the crowd. Juyeon is gaping with them, equal parts shocked and proud as he watches Kevin glance up to meet his eyes. He smiles slightly, as if saying ‘didn’t expect that, did you?’ to Juyeon. Juyeon really didn’t expect that.

“Did they just—” Changmin starts, cutting himself off when Mr. Baek draws out a large rapier from his belt. Juyeon holds his breath again, anxiety creeping up his veins. He can’t forget the main event, after all, no matter how eye-catching Kevin was when he took on the crown bearer role.

“I’m sure you’re all excited for our showmatch later tonight, but there is much time before the fight,” he drawls, watching carefully as the crowd seems to slump. Not yet, it seems.

“The event will be happening outside at eight PM. For now, let’s enjoy the night!” he exclaims, slamming the rapier into the ground as banners and streamers explode, signalling the start of the Gala. Juyeon exhales, feeling his fingertips tingle as Changmin makes a disappointed sound.

“Is it mingling time?” Changmin whispers. Juyeon chuckles, shaking his head as he turns to Changmin.

“Yeah. Mingling time.”

Hyunjoon curses under his breath, throwing the giant metal spider that had just short-circuited on his leg off as he sheaths his blade, paying the spider no mind as it shatters into a million pieces onto the ground. He looks up, cat night vision scanning the room for more traps. Deeming it safe, Hyunjoon taps on his earpiece.

“How close am I, Hee?” Hyunjoon asks, blowing his fringe out of the way as Sunwoo snorts next to him.

“You look like a spy,” Sunwoo deadpans. Hyunjoon shoots him a miffed glare, sticking out his tongue at Sunwoo as Chanhee chuckles over the commlink.

“According to Jaehyun’s map, the mainframe computer should be in the next room. You’ve still got the battery, right?” Chanhee instructs, watching through the camera he planted on Hyunjoon’s black studded choker. A stylistic concealment, he deemed it. A cat collar, Sunwoo called it. The latter was punched.

“Any more murderous metal spiders? Or old traps?” Sunwoo asks, starting to make his way to the door at the far side of the room. Chanhee hums a negative over the line. Hyunjoon sighs.

“That’s what you said last time, before these thingies jumped us,” Hyunjoon mutters, reluctantly following Sunwoo anyway. He’s on a mission on behalf of Jaehyun, who apparently had to go somewhere with Eric on the behest of their parents. Sunwoo, as the only other warlock they had available, is pulled for the mission, extracting information from the old exploded lab. Haknyeon had filled them in earlier, even managing to soothe Hyunjoon’s spiked attitude towards returning to the place. Hyunjoon hates it, but Haknyeon doesn’t lead him astray.

The next room is empty, thankfully, save for a single computer in the middle of the room, big and holographic. Sunwoo finds the battery port, plugging in the super-battery Eric charged for them before he had to go as Hyunjoon watches the room come to life. The screens light up, green text flashing before his eyes as a window opens on the holographic screen. A single white box rests on it, with the word ‘Password’ over it.

“Chanhee?” Sunwoo asks, voice tight. "Do we have a password?”

Chanhee grunts. “That’s a problem.”

Hyunjoon narrows his eyes, noticing how the main computer was connected to a smaller block of beeping machinery. He marches over to it, ripping the metal panel covering the wires as he opens it. Written in bold, red letters is a single word, etched on the metal frame.

“‘Son’,” Hyunjoon reads aloud, watching as Sunwoo stares at him, confused.

“What?” Sunwoo asks. Hyunjoon gestures to the panel.

“I’ve been here before. They hide passwords in the weirdest places, but it’s always red. Try ‘Son’,” Hyunjoon explains, watching as Sunwoo nods, running over to the computer as he types the word in. Instantly, the system whirrs to life, a feminine voice starting to hum. Sunwoo flinches.

“Welcome back, master. You have one new message,” the robot voice says, all gritty and glitchy as if the file was corrupted. Hyunjoon tenses, his guard up as Sunwoo glances at him. Hyunjoon’s mouth sets into a line before nodding.

“View message,” Sunwoo commands, voice shaky. The system whirs again, displaying a green tube on screen as text flies next to it. The female voice hums happily.

“The serum is now perfected. We will be aiming to test it out at a large event soon, to serve as your debut into the world. The affected spirit will be estimated to turn into a Shadow by sunrise, but their out-of-control state will be enough to kill all those there. We’ve chosen a suitable venue for your debut, complete with real-time broadcast to the nation and your worst enemies present, mistress. I’ve attached the event here,” the feminine voice reads aloud, another window popping up as the system glitches for a heart-wrenching moment.

_ We don’t have time _ , Hyunjoon mutters to Sunwoo telepathically. Sunwoo nods, biting his bottom lip.

“View file,” Sunwoo orders, holding his breath as the screen displays the file for one brief moment, lighting up for less than a second before shutting off. Hyunjoon, bent over at the wrong angle, doesn’t see it, but Sunwoo’s panicked yelp is enough to alarm him.

“Sunwoo?” Hyunjoon asks, watching as Sunwoo scrambles for his pocket.

“Juyeon! We need to call Juyeon or Kevin or someone quick! They don’t have much time and—” Sunwoo rambles, trying to find his phone. Hyunjoon cocks his head, confused before Chanhee speaks up for him.

“Sunwoo, what did you see,” Chanhee drawls, trying to keep his voice calm when Hyunjoon knows he’s freaking out. Sunwoo gulps, shooting them a fearful glance.

“The Gala. Seven Thirty. They’re going to kill everyone.”

Juyeon’s phone starts ringing restlessly, shocking him out of his hiding spot at the corner of the room. Juyeon glances around, making sure no one is watching as he walks out. The last thing he needs is the press listening to his conversation. Dinner ended already, so Changmin and he doesn’t have to show their faces anymore until the show match. No one will notice.

Once he’s outside, Juyeon takes out his phone, frowning as he sees Sunwoo’s name on the screen. What is Sunwoo calling him for at this time? He knows the Gala is happening, no?

“Hel—” Juyeon begins, swiping accept while watching the doorway nervously. Sunwoo’s voice is sharp and panicked as he interrupts Juyeon.

“You need to get Changmin and Jacob out of there immediately, as well as any spirits in the vicinity or you’re all going to die! Hurry, you’ve only got a minute before it happens—” Sunwoo yells, slightly out of breath as if he was running. He stops suddenly, yelling as a monstrous roar echoes from the other end. Juyeon frowns

“What do you mean?” Juyeon asks. When he receives no response, the knot in Juyeon’s stomach tightens.

“Sunwoo? Sunwoo! Sunwoo can you hear—”

The line cuts off.

Juyeon stares at his phone in disbelief, trying to process Sunwoo’s words. Before he can debate it further, Juyeon’s rationale takes over, ushering his legs to move as he decides to listen to Sunwoo. Whatever Sunwoo meant, he was in a hurry and panicked. Juyeon needed to listen to him. He finds Jacob and Kevin sipping champagne in a corner, listening to the music while whispering to each other. Juyeon bolts at them, shoulders sagging in relief as he barrels in, drawing their attention.

“Juyeon?” Jacob asks, confused. Juyeon ignores him, grabbing Jacob’s wrist and tugging him along.

“No time. Sunwoo called. We’re all going to die unless we get the spirits out. He was panicked and everything,” Juyeon explains in a rush, grateful when Jacob and Kevin seem to accept it easily. The trust between them is natural and easy, full faith in each other about serious matters. Juyeon can only thank their months at the Academy for that.

“It’s just Cobbie and Minnie here today,” Kevin supplies. "I looked at the guest list.”

Juyeon nods, mouth set into a hard line as he scans the room for Changmin.

_ Changmin, where are you?  _ Juyeon shouts telepathically, frantically trying to find his spirit. In the corner of the room, Juyeon spots Changmin about to take and sip a drink from a busboy, pausing at the last minute as he looks up and around the room, brows furrowed.

_ Juyeon? I’m in— _

Before he can finish the thought, the busboy pulls out a syringe from his pocket and jabs Changmin’s arm with it, taking advantage of the moment. Changmin’s cry vibrates throughout the room loud and shrill as Juyeon teleports to his side a moment too late. Changmin’s weapon flies out from its hidden sheathe on his back, the spear forms out as it impales the busboy’s stomach, making him explode on contact, leaving nothing but a trail of light behind. Juyeon ignores it, too busy diving in to steady Changmin and ripping out the syringe on his forearm, but the damage is done.

Changmin is screaming the entire time, purple energy rippling through his form as his eyes turn black and iris-less, skin turning a cold shade of teal as he grabs onto Juyeon’s arm, still screaming. The crowd is screaming and running around in panic, terrified as the sound of weapons drawing rings through the air. Something shifts in Changmin’s eyes and Juyeon’s body screams with pain. The empathy link is screaming at him to fight back, to target the noise and Juyeon raises his hand.

“Stop! Don’t come closer!” Juyeon warns, trying to hold Changmin up as the screaming quiets down, turning into a growl as Changmin jabs at him. Juyeon yelps, barely dodging the attack as Changmin jumps away, crouched over as owl ears appear on the side of his head. He’s almost indiscernible now, a layer of black and purple mist wrapping his body as purple lightning flickers over his form.

_ Changmin! _ Juyeon yells out telepathically, only to receive a loud screeching noise in return. He yelps, clutching his head as his knees buckle. The entire room seems to moan as Juyeon watches Changmin extend out his hand, plunging the room into darkness, before turning to run away. Juyeon tries to stand, but his head is swimming and everything just  _ hurts so much and— _

_ “Juyeon?” a voice calls out, small and faint but echoing in his mind. Juyeon forces his eyes open to see a field of darkness, empty and barren. In the middle of it stood a little girl, barely older than a little kid as Juyeon’s breath was knocked out of his lungs. _

_ “Mimi,” Juyeon breathes, tears pricking at the corner of his eyes as she turns to Juyeon’s voice. There’s a scowl on her face as she stares into the empty space. _

_ “You did this to me,” Mirae states. Her eyes are empty and void, iris-less and empty. Across her pristine white dress, a phrase is etched in blood, dripping crimson. In curling cursive, it reads a single, terrifying message. _

You failed me.

_ Juyeon tries to reach out to Mirae, only to watch in pain as the room spins, spiralling out of control as Juyeon starts falling through nothingness. Mirae is still staring at him, angry and fuming. _

_ “You sided with him. You left me. You left all of us!” she screams, voice barely audible as Juyeon starts to sob, chest heaving as he keeps on falling. Images flash around him, vivid paintings of every moment of that cursed day etched into Juyeon’s eyes. One shows a school, tall and grand with the word ‘PRESTIGE’ written in bold text. The sky is streaking with orange and purple as Juyeon stands in front of a scrawny boy, barely reaching his shoulder and cowering. On the ground in front of him is another boy, sprawled out and bleeding from the nose. Juyeon’s fist is stained with blood, a scowl on his features. He’s mouthing something, and Juyeon knows the words by heart. _

_ “Leave him alone,” Juyeon mouths back, watching as fourteen-year-old Juyeon stands in front of the school’s biggest kid and possibly strongest warlock Prestige’s high school division has to offer. A senior, three whole years older than Juyeon. The boy behind him becomes his friend for life, forever grateful for Juyeon that day, and his name is Kevin Moon. _

_ Another scene catches Juyeon’s eyes, one of him and Kevin hanging out in the back of the school theatre, where Kevin is singing all the musical numbers he knows while Juyeon dances to them, mustering every bit of choreography Kevin has shown him videos of. Their smiles are blinding, not faltering even when Juyeon messes up a step or Kevin forgets a lyric. Their relationship is light, carefree and easy, friendship as natural as breathing. It’s one of Juyeon’s happier memories at Prestige, even if he didn’t realize it then. _

_ A third scene peeks at the corner of his eyes, this one filled with the rain and Kevin’s face, rejection stringing his muscles taut. Juyeon is standing across from him, guilt and sympathy running through his body as he mouths a single word that would shatter their precious friendship. Kevin had felt something. Juyeon hadn’t. _

_ Juyeon’s lungs are starting to constrict now, the air whistling in his air as Juyen just keeps on falling, his sister screaming indecipherable things above him. A fourth scene unfolds before his eyes, this one witnessing Kevin’s mother screaming at him in the middle of the Summer Gala’s hall. The Moon Family was hosting that year, and Kevin was the poor kid getting strung out and flayed alive by his mother the entire time. Juyeon had known about Kevin’s home problems at first, always offering his open arms whenever Kevin needed to escape. After their rain-filled confession scene, Kevin had closed himself off, not even looking at Juyeon the entire night. He seemed sadder, more exhausted and depressed, all of it surfacing as his mother openly berated him in the middle of the Gala crowd, even having it broadcasted on national TV. Juyeon couldn’t stand by, He took a step forward, about to go save his friend when a hand grasped on his wrist. _

_ His mother leaned in, whispering an urgent warning in his ear. _

_ Interfere and you risk the wrath of the rest of the Aristocracy. It’s an unspoken rule. Families sort out their problems on their own. No one interferes. Ever. _

_ Juyeon broke that rule. _

_ At first, Juyeon simply pushed them apart, trying to stop Kevin’s mom as he started yelling back. Kevin was desperately clawing at Juyeon’s suit jacket, trying to push him away but Juyeon refused. He called Kevin’s mom an abuser and pure vermin, no longer able to keep his emotions in check as he yelled back. _

_ The scene faded, not showing the next one as Juyeon’s own memory filled in the rest. He had been punished by the other families, collectively deciding Juyeon publicly defaming a respected member of the Aristocracy was equivalent to one of his closest relatives having to pay the price. _

_ Then, something odd happened. A flash of another face, one Juyeon doesn’t recognize. It’s hazy, only a blur before it disappears entirely from Juyeon’s memory. Another guy, who felt like Juyeon’s brother, but he didn’t have a brother. But… who— _

_ Suddenly, black replaced the face, and Juyeon’s brain went into overdrive as it returned to the storyline Juyeon knew. _

_ Mirae was chosen, only six years old when they burned her eyes, making her blind. They stripped her of the world’s beauties the same way Juyeon had stripped the Moon family of their ability to face the public. Mirae had been brave the entire time, refusing to scream as she lost her sense of sight. _

_ Juyeon didn’t deserve her forgiveness, but he had it nonetheless, his sister only trusting Juyeon to teach her how to navigate the world with sound and her magic. It broke Juyeon in every way, seeing his sister like that. She should’ve hated him. She must’ve. _

_ She must. _

_ “How could you choose him over me?! Choose a random boy instead of your family?!” the Mirae in front of Juyeon screams, eyes streaming with tears as the blood-red words on her dress yells at him. _

You failed me.

You failed me.

You Failed.

You—  
_“Juyeon!” a voice calls out, piercing and sharp in the darkness over the roaring of Juyeon’s blood in his ear. Juyeon looks up, tears streaking down his face but still, all he can see is darkness. Mirae is gone, for some reason, only leaving behind the darkness and those three words written everywhere._

_ “Snap out of it!” the voice calls again, louder now as Juyeon gasps, trying to look around. He recognizes the voice, but he can’t place a face to it. Suddenly, a sharp pain vibrates through his body, cold seeping into his bones as Juyeon screams in pain. The darkness fades, jumbling together into a blurred out shot of the ballroom as Juyeon gasps, searching for air. _

“Juyeon!” the voice yells again, shaking him violently. Juyeon blinks, heaving as he feels the cold fading from his side. He looks down to see ice all along the sides of his body, cold and frigid to touch. It feels like Mirae’s gaze, back in… whatever that was.

“Wh-what happened?” Juyeon croaks, trying to lift his head to the source of the voice. Jaehyun’s face pops into view, concern written all over his features as he shakes Juyeon.

“Changmin happened. An illusion for everyone, knocking them out cold. He’s trying to eat your minds,” Jaehyun explains in a hurry, putting two of his fingers onto a spot under Juyeon’s chin to check for his pulse. Evidently satisfied, Jaehyun pulls Juyeon into a tight hug. Suddenly, everything comes rushing back, and Juyeon chokes on a sob.

“You’re okay,” Jaehyun mumbles. "You’re okay for now. It was just an illusion.”

Juyeon sobs, broken as tears slip onto his cheeks.

“Mira… and Kevin too, I—I failed them. I couldn’t—”

Another choke. Jaehyun squeezes him.

“You haven’t failed them yet,” Jaehyun reassures, taking Juyeon’s hand into his, a firm look on his face.

“Jacob’s getting Kevin out of his nightmare and Eric can only stall your out of control spirit for so long. Chanhee filled me in. We need to go help them,  _ now _ ,” Jaehyun mutters in a rush, tugging Juyeon up as Juyeon follows his touch, trying to push himself up. Something grabs a hold of his chest.

“Did you see…” Juyeon asks, voice small. Jaehyun pauses, turning back to Juyeon with a sympathetic look.

“It was too vivid not to,” Jaehyun mumbles, making Juyeon’s shoulder sag as he tries to inhale. Juyeon exhales, breath shaky.

“You saved me,” Juyeon mutters, looking up to meet Jaehyun’s eyes, something odd pooling in the pit of his stomach.

“Thank you.”


	14. Even the Brightest Stars Can Drown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw // emotional abuse, extreme trauma and suicide thoughts.
> 
> IMPORTANT!!! There are references/rather detailed metaphors relating to suicidal thoughts in this chapter, especially around the section marked in bold. PLEASE SKIP THIS IF IT CAN TRIGGER YOU!! You won't be missing much plot, don't worry. Please take care of yourself.

Everything hurts.

Changmin is screaming, although no sound comes out of his mouth. His body doesn’t obey him anymore, moving on its own as it filters through illusion after illusion, drinking the turmoil and troubles in his poor victim’s minds. Changmin hates using nightmares. Most of the ones he can bear to utilize involve harmless illusions, forming more of a distraction in battle as opposed to these blown out psychological attacks. He doesn’t even know how the illusions are alive right now, running rampant in front of the entire Gala’s eyes. The entire crowd is asleep, all sprawled out on the floor as a few screams and horrified screeches ripple through the crowd now and then. Changmin’s metaphorical gut tightens, although his physical one seems to jump in delight. It’s utterly sick, but Changmin can’t even scratch his nose right now, much less stop whatever liquid that busboy injected in him from spreading.

His saviour (in a way) comes in the form of a massive electrical shockwave, knocking out all the cameras from continuing to broadcast the event and paralyzing everyone so they can’t do something stupid while suffering from the nightmares. A blur of yellow electricity even forces him outside and into the garden, where Changmin is locked into battle with someone who’s moving much too fast for Changmin to discern. His body reacts against his will, trying to retaliate while pain stops mental Changmin from holding his body back. It’s painful.

Painful. 

Painful.

It  _ hurts _ .

“Stop,” Changmin tries to plead, but nothing comes out. Another shock ripples through his body, doing the physical Changmin no harm while the mental Changmin screams, losing grip with reality.

_ Pain. _

_ Pain. _

_ Pain. _

Changmin doesn’t know if he can hold on much longer.

_ Kevin clutches his head, eyes wild and brimming with tears as his knees give out, slumped over on the ground as his hands cover his ears, trying to muffle the sound. It’s loud. Too loud. _

_ “No one wants you. You’re a burden to everyone. Burden, burden, burden,” a voice chants, haunting and sharp as it digs into Kevin’s mind, lodging itself like a wildflower seed. Kevin screams, curling into himself to try to look away from all of the bright, scarring images flashing around him, trying to drown Kevin is their glaring light. _

_ In front of him, Mirae appears, the petite little girl who lost her eyes because Kevin couldn’t live up to his mother’s expectations. She’s crying, an expression of anger all over her delicate features as she opens her mouth, screaming into Kevin’s ears. _

_ “You monster!” she yells, every bit deserving as Kevin winces, sobbing as he tries to avert his gaze. Something grabs at Kevin’s arm, strong and firm as Kevin looks up, meeting mother’s disappointed gaze as a hand slams across Kevin’s cheeks, slapping him onto the ground as she stands over him, imposing and scowling. Behind her, the scenery shifts into the ballroom in their house, decorated with garlands and flowers from that year’s Summer Gala. She’s holding a spatula, the very same one that left Kevin’s side bruised and bleeding for so many years. _

_ “You brought shame to this family when it did nothing but care for you! We lead you to the top of the social pyramid and what did you do?! You threw it away!” she screams, shaking Kevin as she slaps him again. Kevin’s sobs render his body numb. His hands fly up defensively, trying to tap into his power to block the attack. Nothing comes out. The scene shifts. _

_ “No,” a voice calls out, deep and familiar as Kevin gasps. Rain is pouring down his body, wetting his hair and mixing with Kevin’s own tears as Kevin meets Juyeon’s eyes under the rain. Kevin sobs again, knowing exactly what this scene was. The day his heart was broken. The day everything got worse. _

_ “I could never love someone like you,” Juyeon spits, digging into Kevin’s chest and it just hurts. Kevin knows he didn’t say that. He knows that Kevin ran by then, but it just feels so real and vivid Kevin can’t muffle the sob that comes out of him. _

_ “You only hurt people,” Juyeon’s voice pierces, drowned out under the rain and Kevin’s sobs as Kevin doubles over, the rain biting into his skin. It’s cold, he registers, the way Juyeon’s gaze bores into him. It’s too much. Too much pain. Too cold. Too— _

_ The scene shifts. _

_ Kevin gasps. _

_ “Why won’t you fight back?!” Minho yells, eyes bloodshot and full of rage as he lashes his flail at Kevin. Kevin’s body doesn’t lurch away, just accepting the blow as pain blooms in his body, so broken and mangled at this point. Footsteps approach. _

_ “You only hurt others, so why not fight back?! No one would ever love you anyway, why are you even trying?!” Minho screams, swinging his flail again as Kevin smashes into the wall, a broken scream bubbling in his throat. He tries to dig himself out of the rubble, trying to claw his way out of the debris when the air is knocked out of his lung, sending Kevin falling into a deep, pitch-black hole. Lightning flashes in front of him. _

**TRIGGER WARNING: emotional abuse, extreme trauma and suicidal thoughts for the next part of the scene. Skip to the next bold section if you need to. You have been warned.**

_ “You’re useless,” a voice spits, full of bite and malice as a black shadow appears in front of Kevin. Kevin’s too weak to even open his eyes, body limp on the ground as his tears refuse to keep pouring out. He opens his mouth to sob, but no sound comes out. _

_ “The requests are so small, so minuscule, but you can’t even meet them, Mother changed because you failed, useless brat,” the voice continues, tone icy as Kevin squeezes his eyes shut, trying to maintain some sliver of control. Broken and mangled, a single phrase slips out from his lips. _

_ “I’m sorry,” Kevin croaks, but it falls on deaf ears. _

_ “Father doesn’t even look at you in the eye anymore, ever since that day, huh? Too ashamed of having a useless son, and you even slandered his name. Imagine all the gazes he faces at work. No wonder he hates you,” the voice spits, spiteful and harsh as pain digs at Kevin’s side. The grass blades under him turn to sharp glass, digging into Kevin’s skin as he shakes, trying to stop the visions. It hurts, It hurts everywhere. _

_ “Prestige rejected you and Juyeon because of that day. The very person who always protected you lost his best chance to live out his dreams because of you. And still, he looks out for you. He saves you time and time again, and for what? You do nothing,” the voice steels, emotionless. Kevin’s chest constricts, feeling his very life slipping away from his body, the will to fight gone. It’s his fault. It’s all his fault. _

_ “And all of the people you hurt, oh they number in the thousands, don’t they? Those warlocks you eliminated in the team selection, all so much more deserving than you, no? Mirae, the bystander who had to suffer in your stead, suffering because you couldn’t live up to Mother’s standards. Your own family, regarded with disgust because you couldn't hold up for just one night. Failure,” the voice finishes, footsteps echoing in the distance as Kevin sobs, the last word echoing in his mind over and over again. _

_ Failure. _

_ Failure. _

Failure.

_ Kevin’s out of tears now, reduced to nothing but a broken body on the cold, wet ground. The sky is flashing with lightning and streaking with rain, overwhelming and drowning and Kevin can’t do anything but feel it melting into him. He wonders if the rain would be so kind as to drown him, to take him away from the world and right all the wrongs he’s made. To erase his entire existence, no longer existing on peoples’ minds. Kevin cracks his eyes open blearily, feeling the water pool in front of him, fulfilling his wishes. A figure appears at the edge of the skyline, dark and blurry and Kevin’s words lodge themselves in his throat. Go away, he tries to plead. He knows he’s done wrong, knows he doesn’t deserve anything but scoldings and pain. He just wants the sweet release of death, to finally free him from his mistakes. Surely this is what they wanted, no? _

_ “Kev? Kev!” a voice calls out, muffled but panicky, like a soft nudge to Kevin’s side. Kevin can’t move, can’t even respond to the voice. His eyes flutter close, darkness filling him as Kevin feels the rainwater reach his cheeks, so close to suffocating him. Just a little more, please. Just a little— _

**TRIGGERING PART OVER.**

_ “Kev, Kev oh my gosh Kev, are you okay? Wait that’s rhetoric,” the voice mumbles, soft and gentle in Kevin’s ears. It’s nice and warm, like the slightest lick of warmth in a blizzard. Kevin wants to reach out for it, but his body chides him. He doesn’t deserve warmth. _

_ “You’re drowning, oh my god. Kev? Kev please open your eyes. Kev?! Kev!” the voice calls out, raising in volume as Kevin feels a warm pair of arms loop around his torso, hoisting Kevin out of the water as it collides with something warm. Something he shouldn’t have. Something he doesn’t— _

_ “I’m so sorry I couldn’t break into the illusion fast enough. There was so much in the way but I should’ve been faster. Kev, please, respond to me. It’s not your fault, None of that was your fault,” the voice murmurs, sweet and gentle and so, so warm against Kevin’s temple as if seeping into his body. Kevin’s breath hitches, the sobs pouring out as he feels the rainstorm rage on harder. The hand on his shoulder squeezes. _

_ “Your mom is a piece of shit, you know that?” the voice murmurs, a grounding presence in Kevin’s mind as circles rub on the small of his back. Kevin shudders, making the voice flinch. _

_ “Juyeon wouldn’t say any of that, and you know it. He loves you like a brother, and nothing this… nightmare says can change that,” the voice whispers, now pressing soft kisses on Kevin’s temple. Warmth blooms in Kevin’s chest, fighting against the cold sting of the rising rainwater. _

_ “You don’t fight back because you’re an angel. You keep letting the world push you down and win when it should be lifting you instead. Shut them out, Kevin,” the voice mumbles, dropping to his ear now as Kevin feels the water start to slow in its rise, although the cold is still just as piercing. _

_ “I’m sorry,” Kevin croaks, not even sure what he’s apologizing for. Being a burden? Hurting the people he love? Existing? _

_ “You don’t have to be. Just focus on my voice. Don’t think about the rain. You’re enough. You’re the best warlock I could ever ask for, and the best friend the others could find. You’re irreplaceable,” Jacob mutters, low and comforting as Kevin feels his breath shuddering. _

_ “I couldn’t—” _

_ “She expects too much. No one can meet those kinds of expectations, Kev,” Jacob cuts him off, drumming his fingers against Kevin’s arm comfortingly. Kevin chokes on a sob, wondering what he ever did to have such an angel sent his way. He doesn’t deserve it. _

_ “You deserve the world, Kev. Someone who loves you back as much as you love them. You’re not expendable, Kev,” Jacob says soothingly, somehow ebbing the rain away. The empathy link feels heavy and warm in Kevin’s body, sending jolts of energy into his dormant veins. _

_ “I love you,” Kevin mumbles, eyes watery and glassy again. "But you don’t. Not that way.” _

_ Jacob hushes him, rubbing Kevin’s arm gently. "And how would you know that?” _

_ Kevin gulps, feeling his mouth go dry. _

_ “Not a single soul on Earth would,” Kevin croaks, feeling the rainwater start to rise again. Before Kevin can register the cold, soft lips press against his, warmth blooming in Kevin’s every sense as he loses even the energy to be confused. His hands instinctively reach up, hanging onto Jacob’s shoulder as he feels his chest tingle. It’s warm, the rush that blooms throughout his body. Kevin gasps. _

“It’s a good thing I’m not from around here, am I?” Jacob whispers, eyes kind and comforting as he holds Kevin up. Kevin flutters his eyes open a little wider, brain registering a warm caress on his body as the rainstorm subsides, water suddenly disappearing as Kevin stares in disbelief.

“Why?” he blurts out. "Why me?”

Jacob smiles, fondness dripping from his gaze.

“It’s always been you.”

“Jae! Four o’clock!” Eric yells, voice ringing in the air as Jaehyun whips his head around, raising his wall of ice as he blocks an incoming surge of darkness. He can’t afford to be subdued by Changmin’s nightmares. There’s too much to do.

“We need to get it out of his system!” Juyeon yells, teleporting over a line of trees as he parries Changmin’s strikes, matching him jab for jab. Changmin’s flickering figure growls, sending out illusionary copies of himself as they try to swarm Juyeon. Eric, the only person fast enough to keep up with the duelling pair, is shocking them as soon as they appear, exploding the illusions. Jaehyun grits his teeth. Everything is moving too fast. He’s constantly on high alert for who knows  _ how _ long.

“And how do you suggest we do that?!” Jaehyun yells back, trying to use his ice to hinder Changmin’s movements. Their temporary plan is to just subdue him, but Jaehyun has no idea what to do beyond that. Kevin’s their Support and medical expert, but he’s under an intense lucid dream right now. Last Jaehyun saw him, Jacob started tapping into their empathy link to try to pull him out, but who knows how that’s going. A part of Jaehyun estimates it’s been three hours since he last saw the pair, but worry gnaws at him nonetheless.

“Do the thing!” Eric cries, starting to surcharge himself with electricity. Jaehyun nods at him, calling the ice at his fingertips as he surrounds himself and Juyeon in ice, blocking off the rest of the world as he encases them all in a giant sphere of ice. Eric unleashes his electricity then, bouncing off the icy walls and turning the entire space into a giant ball of death. Changmin’s screams vibrate through the air. The ice falls in shards, zapped into dust as Changmin twitches. The paralyzation isn’t going to last, with Changmin’s new supercharged form. Jaehyun reaches out, trapping Changmin in a grasp of ice as he slams it down, trying to hold him. For a brief moment, Changmin is subdued, but almost immediately, black shadows start to pour out of him again. 

Before Jaehyun can react, something slots into his ear, blocking out even the wind in his ear as something explodes behind him. Jaehyun gasps, watching as Changmin’s shadows dissipate, exploding as Changmin opens his mouth to scream. Something flashes over his eyes, rage diluted for a brief moment as he slumps over, no longer struggling against the ice. Jaehyun looks up, feeling the earplugs disappear in his ears as he spots Kevin and Jacob, riding on two hoverboards. Jacob is holding his ukelele, the most terrifying weapon of all as he strums a soft melody. Something switches in Jaehyun, calmness spreading through his body as his adrenaline seemingly subsides. Next to him, Kevin summons up a small tube full of liquid, green and nasty looking. He dives down to Changmin, shoving the liquid into his slightly agape mouth and jumping back, anxiety all over his features. 

Jaehyun drops to his side, followed by Eric and Juyeon as they watch Changmin jerk awake, except no black clouds surround him anymore. Instead, his eyes fly open, lurching forward with a pained scream. Jaehyun jumps.

“What did you do?” Jaehyun asks, about to run to Changmin’s side when Jacob holds him back with a firm look.

“Just wait for it,” he assures, gesturing at Changmin. After screaming for long enough, he suddenly chokes, starting to puke up black and green liquid. It’s powerful, shaking Changmin’s entire form as he heaves. A part of Jaehyun recoils in disgust, but it’s drowned out by the concern rushing in his ears.

“Sunwoo found a file on the serum,” Kevin explains, a relieved smile on his face. "So I just reversed the ingredients. It’s a good thing the Baek’s have a miniature laboratory at home.”

Jaehyun nods along dumbly, feeling relief pour through his veins nonetheless. When he seems to have finished puking his guts out, Changmin sighs, deep and heavy as he looks up.

“That tastes like shit,” he deadpans, grinning from ear to ear. "Thanks.”

**SUMMER GALA TURNED INTO A NEAR MASSACRE; MYSTERIOUS HEROES ARRIVE TO SAVE THE DAY**

By: Kim Chaewon (Warlock Digest)

SEOUL — Nearly everyone has heard of the disaster that was the Summer Gala a mere two days ago. Over a thousand people present were forced into a hellish nightmare, facing deep psychological and mental scarring as a spirit was injected with a mysterious substance that turned him into a Shadow-Spirit hybrid. The night that was supposed to be a celebration of the season turned into a near massacre as people started to slip into near-fatal comas, minds turning into a feeding ground for this possessed spirit. All hope seemed to be lost until a miracle happened.

When most people came to, they found a wrecked garden outside and two warlocks and a spirit dragging another back inside. Kevin Moon and Lee Juyeon are the ones found with the affected spirit, a teammate of theirs named Changmin, now cleansed of whatever had spurred him into the fight in the first place. Mr. Baek is the first to rush to their side, rushing the group to medical care as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Mrs. Baek and her staff had cleared the room, ushering everyone home while they tried to figure out what went on. This reporter was the only one left behind, lucky enough to score the interview with Jacob, Moon’s spirit and the only in any shape to talk at that point. He was found by his warlock’s bedside, seemingly unwilling to be pulled away, dark circles under his eyes from the struggle that lasted into two in the morning.

“We found Changmin outside when we woke up, fighting with these two people I couldn’t recognize,” Jacob retold, holding up a little empty vial which was later found to be the very antidote he and Moon scraped together last minute under instructions from the two mysterious heroes who had arrived to save the day. When asked to describe them, Jacob simply shook his head. “I couldn't see them, most of the time, and I think I was too panicked to register how they sounded like, sorry.”

After some fruitless questioning, Jacob couldn’t produce any more details. Asking Moon and Lee the same questions, no more details could be procured except for the fact that they disappeared the moment Changmin returned to normal. Even Changmin himself couldn't describe anything, apparently having no consciousness while the possession happened. The Baek’s daughter Jiheon had ushered everyone out of their room at that point for the group to rest.

Private investigations the next day discovered traces of ice and lightning-struck trees in the Baek’s garden, as well as a bunch of daggers Lee identified to be his. All of the guests couldn’t even remember the two mysterious heroes either, and scouring through the security cameras showed no footage of the two either. The loop had ended after 8:04 PM and didn’t come online until the next day when tech support arrived to fix the system. The Baek has issued a 50 thousand won reward for anyone who can find the pair so they can be properly rewarded.

Additionally, the Gala has been announced to be postponed to next week, a redo of this night with tighter security and even more limited coverage. Mr. Baek is hiring warlock teams to keep the place in check, although he reassures us whoever attacked won’t have the guts to do it again after these mysterious heroes managed to spoil their plans so easily. However, the show match was ultimately cancelled and set to happen next year with a different cast. The Aristocracy is once again buzzing with excitement again, waiting for the event to come around again, even if many are saddened by this news.

In related news, Kevin Moon and Lee Juyeon have announced they won’t be attending again, returning to their dorms for the rest of the summer. The day before his departure, Mrs. Moon came to the press with a heavy heart as she announced Kevin has retired his rights as the heir of Moon Enterprises, cutting off all contact from the family. As his scholarship at Creker covers his tuition and all the fees he needs, Kevin no longer needs them. The Lee family extends their congratulations to the former Aristocrat. Opinions are divided on their decision, but most seemed to be against Kevin Moon. It takes guts to run from the Aristocracy, but even more, guts to publicly turn away from them as he did. We here at Warlock Digest wish Kevin Moon the best, and you, the readers, a very charming and Shadow-free day.

Juyeon finds Jaehyun in his room, scribbling something on his whiteboard with a furrow in his brow. His hair is messy and unkempt, a mug of coffee lying empty under the soft afternoon sunlight filtering in through his open window. Juyeon knocks on the door, clearing his throat as Jaehyun flinches, noting his presence. Jaehyun sighs.

“Oh, it’s you. Come in,” Jaehyun mutters, capping his marker and tossing it onto the desk. Juyeon nods, plopping himself onto the bed gently as he shoots Jaehyun a worried look.

“You good?” Juyeon asks. Jaehyun sighs, throwing his hands into the air as he slams the back of his head against the wall. Next door, Jacob yelps, the sound ricocheting through the walls and Jaehyun winces. He yells a ‘sorry’ back, but Juyeon can’t help but notice the exhaustion in his tone.

“Oh, everything’s  _ fine _ ,” Jaehyun snaps, sarcasm dripping from his tone. "Just watching as the rest of the house descends into a warzone. Kevin’s spending most of his time answering press and deciding Chanhee could be his helper because he knows the press was probably our worst idea. Sunwoo and Eric are spending more time screaming at each other than looking at each other, holding some kind of grudge or whatnot. Hyunjoon found  _ something he refuses to explain _ in the lab and now he and Haknyeon are arguing, but it’s not like I needed sleep anyway. Younghoon’s still at home and Sangyeon refuses to call him here when we all know Younghoon’s ninety percent of Changmin’s sanity, who is now beating himself up so hard Jacob’s had to put him in a coma most of the time, but that’s just dandy. I haven’t eaten with another person in nearly two weeks but you’re all too busy yelling at each other anyway and—”

“You’re trying to overwork through it, aren’t you?” Juyeon notes, interrupting him as he gestures to the board. Articles and diagrams are pinned everywhere, scribbles and thread over it like a madman’s conspiracy theory. Jaehyun himself isn’t far from that description, barely recognizable in his form now. Juyeon feels his gut twist at the sight.

“I don’t know what to do,” Jaehyun sighs, rubbing his eyes. Juyeon grimaces, wondering how they’re ever going to make it through the school year with tension this high. It’s tense and strained, the string that holds everyone’s sanity, but Juyeon knows it’s inevitable. Nothing can stay good for long.

“Come here,” Juyeon gestures, patting the bed down as Jaehyun complies, still sighing.

“That time I stood up for Kevin in front of his mother, everything went wrong. The Aristocracy turned on me, Kevin started to get beaten at home, even my sister got her eyes burned out,” Juyeon starts, watching Jaehyun’s expression morphs into sympathy. Juyeon waves him off.

“Mirae is awesome though. She let me teach her how to navigate the house without being able to see, and even let me teach her how to read and write while blind. She’s a tough cookie, that one, and you know what she said when I asked her how she was so positive?”  
Jaehyun shakes his head. Juyeon smiles.

“‘Every rainstorm is followed by a rainbow. Always look for the rainbow, because it’ll come’,” Juyeon quotes, a fond smile on his face as he thinks of Mirae. Next to him, Jaehyun hums, shoulders seemingly lighter as he squeezes his eyes shut.

“This is gonna be a hell of a summer, isn’t it?” Jaehyun mutters. Juyeon laughs, snaking his hand into Jaehyuns as he grips, trying to send a gesture of comfort.  
“Yeah, but we’ll make it. I believe in us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [dun dun DUN] and the plot Thickens


	15. New Friends, New Enemies

“An internship?” Eric asks, confusion knitting his eyebrows together. Across from him, Younghoon nods, eagerly gesturing at the poster he saw on the school bulletin board. The graphic is, frankly, terrible, consisting of a giant dragon with some bold letters and contact information. Eric remembers seeing Kevin want to burn the poster a few minutes ago.

“But why now? And why us?” Eric questions, gesturing at Sunwoo and him, sitting on opposite ends of the couch. At the gesture, Sunwoo scowls. Eric glares right back at him.

“Jacob, Jaehyun, Sangyeon and I have been talking,” Younghoon drawls, seemingly exasperated. "And we decided you two aren’t exactly capable of just making up. Frankly, it’s a problem.”

Sunwoo scoffs at his words.

“We’re perfectly fine keeping our distance, thank you very much,” Sunwoo snaps. Eric rolls his eyes, leaning back into the couch but silently agreeing. If Sunwoo wasn’t going to talk like adults, Eric has no obligation to do so either.

“Your synergy is off,” Younghoon presses, trying to sound gentle but Eric can hear the exhaustion in his voice. "There’s no trust anymore. You’re even throwing off Hyunjoon and Haknyeon with your bad mood every time you see each other. And that’s not to mention the rest of the team,” Younghoon explains.

Eric just grumbles silently at his words, but Sunwoo doesn’t let it slide.

“Maybe I’d trust him a little more if he didn’t  _ lie _ to me the entire time,” Sunwoo mutters under his breath, avoiding Eric’s eyes. Eric’s expression hardens.

“I didn’t lie about anything! You’re just jumping to conclusions!” Eric retorts, venom dripping from his tone. Sunwoo sneers at him.

“And how would I know?!” Sunwoo yells back, starting to sit up a little straighter. "You don’t seem to make it a habit to tell the truth!”

Eric fumes. Is Sunwoo really going to pin it on him when Eric has no say in the secret? Two can play at that game.

“And you’re so much better?! You never say anything and expect everyone to kiss your ass when all you do is mope around and push everyone away! I don’t even know why I bother with you!” Eric screams, cheeks a bright shade of red out of anger. Sunwoo’s expression shifts, turning even more enraged as he shoots up.

“Then why don’t you just get lost?! I don’t want to see your stupid face anyway!” Sunwoo yells back, turning around to leave when a sudden wave of nerves washes through the room, rooting Eric and Sunwoo in place. Eric growls mentally, willing his body to move and fight the rush of emotional energy surging through him. He looks up and meets Sangyeon’s disappointed gaze, his expression hard and aura glowing with magic so bright even humans can see it. Eric almost feels bad. Almost.

“You two are going on the internship whether you like it or not. An old colleague of mine will make sure you two get along, and you will not start trouble on his patrols, understood?” Sangyeon says, tone cold and clipped. Eric scowls.

“I’m not going anywhere with him,” Eric spits, gesturing at Sunwoo. Sunwoo scowls, nodding along. Sangyeon sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“You don’t get to choose your teammates. Time to make it work.”

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Haknyeon whispers, eyeing Sunwoo and Eric storming off to their rooms after realizing they can’t argue their way out of it. Sangyeon is ridiculously stubborn and firm once he makes up his mind and it would be  _ really _ unwise to go against him. Haknyeon has seen Sunwoo do it once, and the aftermath… wasn’t pretty.

“Don’t we all,” Jacob mutters, shoving a giant spoon of cereal in his mouth as he sighs. Haknyeon looks away from the scene to meet Jacob’s gaze. Jacob and Haknyeon have effectively become the involuntary therapist duo of the group, the only ones calm and impartial enough to all the arguments to just extend them a bowl of food and listen to them vent. More often than not, their client is Kevin or Changmin, who can’t seem to get their minds off of the summer, but everyone makes their rounds down to the kitchen every now and then. Haknyeon has learnt all sorts of things about his team’s inner demons, from Sunwoo’s inability to open his mind to Eric’s struggle with identity because of his… secret. It’s all a mess, really.

“Nothing short of forgetting their entire life is gonna make them make nice, I swear,” Haknyeon notes, fiddling with his spoon. Jacob nods, echoing his sentiment as he bites his bottom lip.

“Look out for them out there, yeah?” Jacob asks, turning to Haknyeon with intent in his eyes. Haknyeon purses his lips.

“I’ll try.”

The post-rain street is beautiful in the city lights, Chanhee thinks, the neon lights dancing in the puddles lining every crevice of the pavement. He’s seen the sight a few times, but Chanhee had always preferred to stay inside. Not even the picturesque lull of the city nightlife can trump the comforts of his room, warm and close to so much joy in the house.

At least, that was true a few months ago.

October brings with it an air of tension and unease, a cold autumn breeze sweeping away the last of the summer warmth and leaving Chanhee with a dorm full of anger and frustration. Between Sunwoo and Eric’s constant arguing and Changmin’s depressing state, the cracked mosaic of their dynamics is cold and sharp, losing all the colour their team used to be so vibrant with and replacing it with a harsh, burning crimson. They take turns keeping an eye on Changmin, trying to soothe him back to sleep after a bout of nightmares or having to wrestle Changmin’s own illusions away from himself. Chanhee feels the life being sucked out of him every time he sees his boyfriend lose his mind, curled into a little ball in the corner of his room, silently blinking his eyes because the tears don’t flow out anymore.

“This way,” Younghoon cuts into Chanhee’s thoughts, pulling him out of his daze as he gently pulls Chanhee into the night market. Chanhee blinks once, coming to his senses in time to barely dodge the lantern of the Seoul Night market. Snack stands and small vendors line the side of the streets, bright orange and red dotting the sky like a painting as the floating lanterns extend nearly three stories. It feels like Chanhee is back in old Seoul, before the war and the new system. There's only the tiniest hints of modern day hoverpads and multi-layer shopping streets covered up with traditional Korean umbrellas and lanterns igniting the aftermath of the rain.

The inner spirit part of Chanhee wants to shift into his animal form and float through the market, marvelling at the wonders of this little corner of the city. Younghoon is the only thing keeping him grounded, grip tight on Chanhee’s hand as he hands Chanhee a giant cheese corn dog, still dripping with ketchup. Chanhee blinks at him, wondering how Younghoon managed to get it with just one hand.

“Don’t think about the others for tonight, please?” Younghoon pleads, eyes almost puppy-like. Chanhee feels his heart melting as he accepts the corn dog, a small smile blooming on his face.

“Okay. We still need to get Min something though,” Chanhee replies, watching as Younghoon smiles back, nodding slightly.

“C’mon. I heard from Jaehyun there’s a fantastic tteokbokki place three streets down. Min would love that,” Younghoon proposes, already tugging Chanhee through the market. They spend the next two hours with carefree grins, jumping from food stalls to game booths as Chanhee feels himself melting into the bright atmosphere of the market. It’s hard to imagine there are creatures out there who sought to destroy this kind of place, sucking the little pockets of joy out of Chanhee’s meek world. Younghoon is beautiful under the moonlight, dark black hair reflecting silver and orange as his pearly whites light up the sky like a firework. Chanhee feels safe in his grasp, a ridiculous thought since he’s the more useful on in a fight, but Chanhee can’t explain the way his heart flutters and blooms with warmth when Younghoon feeds him a bite of noodles or drops tteokbokki sauce onto Chanhee’s hard-earned pigeon plushie from the claw machine. He lost too much money on that pigeon.

Sometime into the night, Younghoon gets the brilliant idea to call Changmin and have him join through the grainy quality of Younghoon’s phone. Changmin had declined their offer for a date earlier, too scared of himself to be around those who can’t defend themselves easily. Chanhee wasn’t blind to the way his shoulder dropped when he saw them leave, so he deems the surge of sudden joy running through him when Changmin’s face pops up through the camera as perfectly normal. Changmin ends up coaching Chanhee through a shooting range for possibly the largest stuffed penguin Chanhee has ever seen. Chanhee nearly wacks a poor kid running by with it, much to the amusement of his boyfriends.

It’s ridiculously amazing, the feeling that explodes in Chanhee when he sees Changmin crack his pretty smile after so long. He wishes he could frame the image on his wall, capture the moment forever so Chanhee can always keep Changmin’s smile in his sight. He supposes it’s why Sangyeon’s so obsessed with his camera, taking snapshots of their happy moments. It must be a little harder to remember them all at Sangyeon’s age. Another hour passes, and Chanhee starts to yawn.

“I’ll see you two when you get home then?” Changmin’s voice rings through the phone, quality close to shit but Chanhee can’t find it in himself to really be bothered by it. Younghoon hums a note of affirmation.

“Yeah. Have the others gone to bed yet?” Younghoon asks. It’s a Friday night right now, so it’s much more likely the others are spending their time doing god knows what out in the lawn. Anything to escape the suffocating walls, Chanhee supposes.

“Jacob and Juyeon are playing some version of basketball that involves blindfolds. Other than the kids on their patrol, the rest are asleep,” Changmin replies through the phone, the sound of shuffling blankets and shuddering blinds joining his voice.

“Sounds peaceful then. I might get a full ten hours tonight,” Younghoon jokes. Changmin snorts as Younghoon ends the call, pocketing his phone and extending his free arm over to help Chanhee carry the pigeon from earlier. They board the subway, whispering hushed ‘excuse me’s and ‘sorry’s to the passengers of the late train to the outskirts of the city. An old lady is kind enough to scoot over to make space for Chanhee’s penguin, even calling his pastel pink hair cute as Chanhee shyly said his thanks. The train is gentle and soothing, slowly rocking Chanhee to sleep as he sighs. Younghoon is squinting at his phone, furiously typing something as Chanhee frowns. Leaning over Younghoon’s shoulder, Chanhee peeks at his contact to see Eric’s name on the top. Chanhee’s eyebrows knit together.

“Isn’t he on patrol?” Chanhee whispers, suddenly wary. Younghoon nods, a grimace on his face.

“There’s a villain on the loose in the area and they’ve just lost sight of him. He was headed to the market though, so they’re tracking him down. It’s a good thing we finished in time,” Younghoon mutters, brows furrowed as he texts Eric a little ‘be safe!’ with a heart emoji. Chanhee sighs, reclining on his chair. He can’t help but worry about those people back at the market. There were trained professionals around though, warlock teams who have either lost members through the schooling process or just not suited for frontline defense. It’s inevitable, really, that there exist humans who abuse their powers for evil instead of good. Chanhee glances over to Younghoon, watching a grim expression take over his face and opens his mouth to comfort Younghoon, only to notice something else.

“Hoonie, where’s the pigeon?” Chanhee asks. Younghoon looks at him, frowning before looking around his area for Changmin’s present.

“It’s right… fuck. I think I left it at the station.”

Chanhee groans.

“It’s okay, we can catch the train backwards at the next station. This isn’t the last one tonight,” Chanhee reasons, trying to calm himself more than anything. All of a sudden, the villain threat feels so much more real. Younghoon grimaces.

“The station’s gonna be packed from evacuees,” Younghoon points out, biting his bottom lip. Chanhee grimaces.

“We’ll have to try. Can’t come back empty-handed,” Chanhee reasons, and Younghoon nods, running his hand through his hair as his expression sours. He curses under his breath, low and frustrated as Chanhee nervously chews on his bottom lip.

They catch the train on the next station and rocks back to the market with a nervous air, wondering if they can arrive before the villain comes. When Chanhee and Younghoon arrive at the market, the scene can only be described as pure chaos. People are rushing to file into the train to run anywhere and everywhere, just to get away from the danger. Younghoon finds the pigeon near the entrance of the station where they got their tickets, but mere seconds after he grabbed the stuffie, a large bolt of fire starts barreling towards him. Chanhee widens his eyes, summoning his weapon at light speed and blocking the attack with the tip of his lance.

“We need to cover the rest of the evacuees! There’s no one here to protect them,” Chanhee cries, shifting his lance into hand cannons as he starts shooting down stray projectiles coming at the station. Younghoon seems to get the message, tucking the pigeon plush into a nearby corner along with Chanhee’s penguin before he starts running towards the crowd. While Younghoon helps the elderly into the safety of the station and hide evacuees from the side effects of the fight, Chanhee turns his attention to finding other magical traces in the air. Haknyeon’s is the first one he finds, using his magic as a vortex to try and mitigate collateral damage. Chanhee sends his magic to Haknyeon, boosting his efforts and catching Haknyeon’s attention as he whips around to meet Chanhee’s gaze. Chanhee smiles at him, blasting stray projectiles out of the air before cupping his hands to yell.

“Go get him!” Chanhee shouts, assuring Haknyeon he’ll take care of the evacuees as Haknyeon grins back, flashing Chanhee a thumbs up. The next few minutes are a blur, the city starting to send helicopters and police cars to the station to pick up the stragglers who can’t fit on the last few trains. Chanhee grits his teeth. He’ll have to catch a ride with the kids then.

“Hee! Three o’clock!” Younghoon yells, signalling Chanhee just in time to shoot another fireball out of the sky. Blowing his fringe out of the way, Chanhee takes the brief moment of peace to pull out his lance, aiming it at the battle raging downstreet, taking aim. Changmin’s voice rings in his head from earlier that night, calm and gentle.

_ Deep breaths. Support the gun with both arms and aim a little higher than the target. _ Changmin’s voice instructs in Chanhee’s head, presence palpable as Chanhee musters his magic into a blossom of thin shots. Using the lance’s tip as a launch point, Chanhee fires off the shot, feeling excitement rise in his chest as the shots bloom out into a firework, clearing away a wave of fireballs. Deeming himself safe for a while, Chanhee rushes over to help Younghoon lift a fallen street lamp off a poor child.

“It’s okay, just keep pushing yourself out, okay? Ignore the pain. Focus on my voice,” Younghoon is instructing the little boy, trying to lift the heavy metal pole. Chanhee shifts his lance into a hand cannon as he blasts the lamp with a moderate setting, pushing it up for a moment as Younghoon pulls the boy out quickly, starting to yell at the cops to come and take the injured boy. Chanhee turns back to the battle, returning to shooting fireballs out of the sky as he growls.

“What’s taking them so long?!” Chanhee yells. Younghoon shakes his head.

“I don’t know, but it’s not just because Eric and Sunwoo refuse to fight together! I think he has a spirit!” Younghoon yells back over the still evacuating screaming crowd. Chanhee grits his teeth. Sometimes spirits and warlocks can form contracts independent of the warlock school system, but those contracts are weaker and lacking the empathy link due to the lack of an approval seal from the board of Warlocks and the Council of Spirits. Chanhee opens his mouth, ready to run over and help the others when a giant stray fireball slips his radar, colliding into a building, debris starting to fall onto a few stragglers under it. Before Chanhee can react, Younghoon is running at a million miles an hour towards the scene, pushing one of the runners with a loud cry of ‘watch out!’. Chanhee raises his weapon, starting to blast the debris over Younghoon’s head. In his haste, Chanhee lets another fireball, a small one, in his defense, slip past his vision, colliding with Younghoon’s chest as he pushes one last straggler out of the way. 

For a second, the world went silent with white noise.

Chanhee’s scream is deafening, drowned out by his thundering heartbeat as he rushes to Younghoon. His aura is all over the place now, magic working against his will as light bullets start shooting out of him. For the most part, they strike the incoming attacks, but Chanhee can’t even notice them when all he can see is Younghoon falling to the ground, fire engulfing his body as the thud thunders in Chanhee’s ears. Chanhee blasts down the next wave of fireballs, wrapping his arms around Younghoon as he picks him up and starts to sob. Younghoon’s eyes are closed, unconscious as the fire starts licking up his body. Chanhee pats him out, trying to maintain any semblance of sanity when his brain is repeating his pleads like a mantra.

_ Please. _

_ Please. _

_ Please. _

“Please,” Chanhee sobs, moving his shaky hand to a tiny spot under Younghoon’s chin. A faint pulse responds to his touch, oh so frail and Chanhee nearly breaks. He picks him up, blasting more of the fireballs away as one of the stragglers Younghoon saved earlier helps Chanhee carry Younghoon back to the station. For a moment, Chanhee grips on, unable to let go when rationale catches up to him. He can’t let these people die. Younghoon gave himself up for this, and Chanhee would be damned not to finish what he started.

Turning back to the battle, Chanhee inhales a shaky breath and takes aim again, this time searching for the source of his worries instead. The battle’s partakers are clearer now from how close he is, but Chanhee knows he can’t miss the shot. Eric and Hyunjoon are fighting this guy at close quarters, and it’s all too easy to hit them instead. Chanhee tries to calm his breathing, calling on Changmin’s voice from before as he tries to smother his tears.

_ Deep breaths. Support the gun with both arms and aim a little higher than the target. _ Changmin’s voice instructs in Chanhee’s head. Chanhee grits his teeth, blinking the tears out of his eyes as he calls on his power.

He will  _ not _ miss.

“This is for Younghoon, you monster,” Chanhee growls as he fires the shot, watching it soar through the air and narrowly miss Hyunjoon’s face by mere inches as it strikes the villain in the stomach, sending him flying backwards and into another glowing body, sure to be his spirit, and onto a wall. Chanhee lowers his lance, tears wet and hot on his cheeks as Eric turns to him in shock and awe. Chanhee holds his head high, glaring at him with a single message, burning like a branded tattoo in Chanhee’s venomous gaze.

_ Grow up already. _

“It’s your fault!” Eric screams, jabbing his finger at Sunwoo’s chest. Sunwoo’s eyes widen in shock and anger, snarling as he jumps back at Eric, throwing his hands in the air.

“Well I’m  _ sorry  _ if I was busy trying to make sure no one close got hurt! I thought Chanhee was guarding the station!” Sunwoo yells back, venom dripping from his tone. Eric snarls.

“Your job was literally to keep the fight contained!” Eric retorts. "Don’t blame it on him! That’s all you can do, isn’t it?! Make excuses and push the blame onto others!”

Sunwoo recoils. For a moment, something akin to hurt flashing through his eyes. Eric falters for a moment, the tiniest part in his brain wondering if he went too far. It vanishes the instant Sunwoo’s expression curls into one of rage.

“Stop saying it like you’re any better! We trusted you to keep your stupid powers in check and you ran around like a spark plug on drugs! I always have to clean up  _ your _ mess!” Sunwoo hollers, inching closer as he balls his fist. For a horrifying second, Eric thought he’d throw the first punch, so close to lifting the fist when another body collides into theirs, pushing them apart. Chanhee stood between them, gaze harsh and venomous as he gripped their wrists so hard Eric thinks his circulation might cut off.

“Stop  _ fucking  _ arguing!” Chanhee interrupts, voice loud and piercing through the night air. They’re outside of the hospital, tension exploding once the worry and panic over getting Younghoon to the hospital has passed. Eric falters, feeling the cold October breeze tickle his ear as his anger subsides for just a moment. Sunwoo recoils too, seemingly coming to his senses for a brief moment.

“You two arguing got us into this mess in the first place, so don’t even think for a  _ second _ that arguing more is gonna help with anything! Grow up, you goddamn children!” Chanhee screams, glaring at them. Something snaps in Eric’s brain, flipping a switch as he stares into the hospital again. Younghoon… 

“'Unless you two make up right this second I am sending you both home," Chanhee grits out. "And trust me, Sangyeon will not be happy about this.”

Hyunjoon’s butt is starting to ache.

He’s been sitting on the hospital chair for the past five hours, waiting for news about Younghoon’s state. He had to go into surgery, on the brink of passing over had it not been for a small silver necklace with a decently sized red flower that managed to block a piece of glass from impaling Younghoon’s throat. Apart from that near fatal wound, Younghoon suffered from multiple third degree burns and too many bleeding wounds to count.

Sunwoo and Eric were arguing again, yelling at each other the moment Younghoon got into the surgery room. Haknyeon had taken the role of ushering them outside to not disturb the waiting room, although Chanhee interrupted about five minutes in and screamed at both of them. Juyeon and Jacob arrived about half an hour later, taking Sunwoo, Haknyeon and Eric home while Hyunjoon volunteered to stay and keep Chanhee company. 

Something changed between Sunwoo and Eric during Chanhee’s explosion, anger seemingly dissipating for a peaceful moment. Haknyeon was beyond exhausted, being the one to keep Sunwoo and Eric in check for most of their patrol while Hyunjoon shied away, not as good at dealing with people as Haknyeon is. It was always their comfortable dynamic anyway, all the way back. Hyujoon wouldn’t have it any other way, really. Haknyeon was more than enough for him.

Of course, all good things came to an end.

Juyeon wanted to drag Chanhee home at one point, but it was clear Chanhee refused to leave until he knew Younghoon was stable. Juyeon promises to bring the others here once the situation is clear and everyone is awake, leaving Hyunjoon and Chanhee at the hospital to wait for the doctors.

Hyunjoon hates waiting at hospitals.

“The villain from earlier had associates,” Hyunjoon mumbles, trying to start a conversation and distract Chanhee from Younghoon. Chanhee looks up from his fingers, raising an eyebrow at Hyunjoon. Maybe that was a bad conversation starter. Still, Hyunjoon made his bed, and he was going to lie in it.

“They traced him to some secret organization handing out circuit-enhancing drugs and some diluted version of whatever drug Changmin got back at the Gala,” Hyunjoon continues, eyeing Chanhee carefully. Chanhee, for his part, doesn’t flinch at the mention of the Gala like he would before, but Hyunjoon suspects it has something to do with the exhaustion rolling off of him in waves. His aura is a dark shade of purple—intense anxiety. Hyunjoon has to tread carefully.

“The team we’re under is gonna put out a team up call, try and bust out their lair,” Hyunjoon finishes, fiddling with his sheath strap. Chanhee reclines on his chair, a grim expression settling over his face as his mouth sets into a hard line.

“What about Sunwoo and Eric? Those two are gonna be a mess,” Chanhee asks, looking at Hyunjoon with a tinge of worry. Hyunjoon sighs.

“The best we can hope for is a truce. From what I hear, they’re putting them on different teams to conquer the lair,” Hyunjoon says, trying to sound cheerful. He’s not the high energy or soothing type, but Haknyeon told him once that Hyunjoon’s the spitting image of his spirit animal. People like cats, right?

“How are you so calm?” Chanhee asks, cocking his head as he stares at Hyunjoon curiously. "You just saw someone be rushed into the emergency room because a petty fight and you’re not even mad?”

Hyunjoon grimaces. “Half of it’s the empathy link I think. Sunwoo’s probably sad right now, if the way I want to cry is any indication,” Hyunjoon jokes, trying to lighten the atmosphere. Chanhee snorts, the corners of his lips twitching ever so slightly.

“And the other half?” Chanhee asks. Hyunjoon shrugs half-heartedly.

“They’ll get over it. It’s Sunwoo and Eric, after all. They've been best friends for fifteen years. Nothing will change that, short of them forgetting their entire past or something.”

“Eric?” Sunwoo whispers meekly, knocking at the door and eyeing Eric lying on his bed. "Can we talk?”

Eric looks up from his phone, eyes widening when he sees Sunwoo at the door. Nodding slightly, Eric shifts to a sitting position on his bed, silently beckoning Sunwoo to come. He’s acting relaxed, but Sunwoo hasn’t known him for a decade and a half to not realize the tension in his shoulders.

“I’m sorry,” Sunwoo starts at the same time Eric mutters out the same thing. They both stop, staring at each other for a moment. Eric is the first to break the tension, sighing as he scratched the back of his head.

“I’ll start,” Eric mumbles. Sunwoo is about to let him, close to falling back into their natural pattern of Eric leading their conversations, before he stops himself. Shaking his head, Sunwoo shoots Eric a sheepish smile.

“No, I need to start this time,” Sunwoo mumbles, looking down to pick at a stray thread on his pyjama pants. Eric nods, closing his mouth to let Sunwoo start. With a sigh, Sunwoo peeks up at Eric.

“I’m sorry. For calling you a liar. Jaehyun… told me your whole predicament a while ago but I just… didn’t listen? I was just so scared the Eric I knew all this time was nothing but another mask to hide yet another secret. I mean, my Eric is nothing like those Aristocrats,” Sunwoo starts, watching Eric’s expression carefully. Eric shakes his head.

“Well, technically, we’re not one of them,” Eric points out. Sunwoo nods, pursing his lips.

“I know. That was the whole point of your parents lying about your background, after all. I was just… scared? You’re my best friend but I… I didn't know if I could trust you. I didn’t mean to lose my shit like that. I didn’t mean to lose you,” Sunwoo whispers, voice barely audible as he drops his head down again, feeling sheepish. A hand reaches out, resting on Sunwoo’s own as Eric’s weight presses onto him, arms around his back as his breath tingles Sunwoo’s collarbone. Eric squeezes him, comforting and apologetic at the same time. Sunwoo wants to cry.

“For the record, I didn’t lie about anything else,” Eric mumbles back, pulling them into a lying position on the wrong side so that Sunwoo’s feet touch the pillow.

“Well, maybe about that time I stole your yogurt, but nothing else, I swear!” Eric jokes, lightening the atmosphere as Sunwoo snorts.

“I’m trying to be serious,” Sunwoo deadpans. Eric wrinkles his nose.

“I hate serious,” Eric retorts, poking Sunwoo’s chest as he pushes himself back up to a sitting position. For some odd reason, Sunwoo feels cold.

“I’m sorry too, by the way,” Eric begins, eyeing Sunwoo carefully. Sunwoo tries to smile at him comfortingly.

“Sorry for saying I don’t want to bother with you,” Eric mutters, scratching the back of his head nervously. "I always want to bother with you. You’re my favourite person to bother, no matter how fast you jump to conclusions or whatever.”

Sunwoo winces.

“How about this,” Sunwoo proposes, sitting up with a smile on his face as he extends his hand. "No more secrets and no more jumping to conclusions. We hear each other out, whether both sides like it or not.”

Eric grins back, grabbing Sunwoo’s hand and shaking it gently.

“Deal.”

Sunwoo sighs internally in relief, yet a small part of him can’t help but miss the warmth of his best friend’s hold that night when he goes to bed. Perhaps it’s from the distance in the past few months.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I said, "oh it'll just be a little bit of angst." Y'know, like a liar.


	16. Families are the Worst

The hallway is dark and musty, the stale fragrance of air-conditioned filling Hyunjoon’s nose. Sunwoo is pressed against his side, his weapon the only separator between their bodies as Hyunjoon creeps along the hallway. Not a single light guides their way, but that’s half the reason Hyunjoon and Sunwoo are taking this part of the mission, anyway. Cat vision, Sunwoo called it. He was punched.

Their role was perhaps one of the most important, tasked with disarming the security system to let the others into the lair. Supposedly, the lair was a sort of tunnel system that doubled as a production lab. Their mission was simple: find and apprehend the head of the operations. Three teams were on this mission, each to attack the tunnel from three angles to stifle all exits from the leader of this gang.

“Turn right,” Hyunjoon’s earpiece crackles to life as Yoojung, their eyes from the outside, whispers through the little device. Hyunjoon nods.

“There are two guards down that way. The security room is just at the end of the hallway,” she continues, marking the location through Hyunjoon’s lens. Sunwoo taps his shoulder twice, drawing a half-moon to signal their plan of action.

_ Please don’t cut me in half _ , Sunwoo whispers in his mind. Hyunjoon cracks a smile.

_ No promises. _

At a silent count of three, Hyunjoon turns the corner, drawing two spears out of thin air as he hurls it down the hallway. The guards instantly spot it, rolling out of the way as Sunwoo jumps into action, blocking their reactive fire. Before the guards can call for help, Hyunjoon runs to them, summoning two katanas in each hand as he disarms them, hitting their pressure points as the guards fall to the ground, limp. Sunwoo rushes in immediately, dragging them into a nearby supply closet as he gags them, shutting the door behind him on the way out.

_ That’s still unnerving and you know it, _ Sunwoo deadpans. Hyunjoon gives him a cheshire smile.

_ You have to do worse out there, Sun. To quote Chanhee, grow up _ .

Sunwoo scowls, not making another comment as he walks up to the security room door. He jostles the lock once before drawing out his shotgun and blasting the door. The door shudders, creaking open as he enters. Hyunjoon automatically takes guard duty, leaning against the wall as he listens in for Yoojung’s instructions for Sunwoo.

“Three minutes,” she announces finally. "And we can storm the place. I’ll disable cameras and security measures, but the backup generator will kick in after half an hour. Locate it.”

Hyunjoon nods, moving to leave as Sunwoo’s head peeks out from the doorway. He’s chewing his bottom lip in anticipation and Hyunjoon can only smile fondly at it. Baby’s first mission.

_ They’ll be fine, Sun. What’s the worst that can happen?  _ Hyunjoon tries, attempting a gentle tone. Haknyeon was always the better pep talker between the two of them, with Hyunjoon preferring to slink into the shadows more. He was also just… better at reading the room.

_ That does not help, _ Sunwoo deadpans. Hyunjoon winces, sighing silently.

_ Haknyeon wouldn’t let a single thing happen to your boyfriend, Sunwoo _ , Hyunjoon teases, watching with pure ecstasy as Sunwoo flush red all over.

_ My what? Joon, don’t joke. We’re on a serious mission, _ Sunwoo snaps, scowling as he pulls Hyunjoon back the way they came. Hyunjoon can’t help but smile.

_ Whatever you say. _

They find the backup generator about three hallways down, disarming a cacophony of human and robot guards along the way. The generator is in a computer room eerily similar to the one Hyunjoon broke into last summer. A chill creeps up his spine. Something feels off.

“Guy—” [beep] “Something’s we—” [buzz] “Can you he—” [beep] “Hello?!” [buzz] [whirring] [beep] [beep] [beep]

Hyunjoon jumps.

“Yoojung?” he calls out, pressing his finger to his earpiece. "Yoojung?!”

_ Joon, the door won’t budge,  _ Sunwoo says, voice quivering even through the telepathy link as he jostles the door out, the panic evident on his face. Hyunjoon purses his lips. He can’t lose his cool. Sunwoo isn’t composed enough for these kinds of situations, no matter how far he’s come this year. Not yet.

_ We’ll turn off the generator first then. Yoojung will come soon, and if it comes down to it, we’ll blast the door open _ , Hyunjoon reasons, trying to maintain a steady voice. Sunwoo nods, the tiniest bit more relaxed. Hyunjoon sighs in relief internally.

They destroy the backup generator for good measure, only leaving the main data center as Hyunjoon reasons for them to look through it while they wait. Who knows, something might be useful.

Tapping into all the tech skills he’s amassed in Codebreaker 101, Sunwoo leads their exploration, breezing through the firewalls deactivated from their earlier breach on the system. Most of the files were on the serum and drugs themselves, which Hyunjoon reasons to be useful enough to tell Sunwoo to download it into a data cube. The cube is holographic, barely the size of Hyunjoon’s fist as it forms on top of the computer. Hyunjoon stuffs it in his jacket pocket, zipping up the cube as he urges Sunwoo to scour harder.

_ There must be something on associates, right? Maybe we can track down other places _ , Hyunjoon reasons. Sunwoo nods, evidently happy with the answer as he taps into the files again. They find floor plans (probably useful if they could talk to Yoojung right now), some puppy ads (what?) and only one other file. It was titled, in a totally not suspicious way, ‘Mistress’. Naturally, they delved in.

_ Wait a second, _ Sunwoo gasps, eyes widening as he scans the file,  _ I know this woman. _

Hyunjoon gulps, his stomach twisting into a knot as a single file sits before them. It has the image of a woman stepping out from a car, sunglasses and hat on but still recognizable from a mile away. Her matte black hair is smooth and silky as it hangs on her shoulder, a mysterious yet mischievous smile on her lips as she looks at someone off-screen. The profile is simplistic, for the most part, only including her transactions and orders, but they’re irrelevant.

No, what mattered most is her title.

“‘Warlock Representative from the USA, strongest seat on the Warlock Board’,” Hyunjoon reads, muttering under his breath as shock coursed through him.

_ She looks familiar _ , Sunwoo mumbles, suddenly blinking rapidly as he squinted at the photo. Hyunjoon frowns.

_ She’s everywhere on the media like, twenty-four seven. Of course, she’s familiar _ , Hyunjoon points out, watching Sunwoo’s expression morph into a frown.

_ No, it’s a different kind of familiar, _ Sunwoo whispers, eyes suddenly widening as he charges at the door, starting to pound at it, Hyunjoon recoils in shock.

_Sunwoo?_ Hyunjoon asks, wondering if he should keep up his calm tone. Is this the place for it?  
_We need to get to Yoojung, now!_

Haknyeon would like to preface by saying that the twenty minutes they spent rushing through the underground tunnel/lair hybrid chopping off killer robot heads and knocking out human guards was perhaps one of the best twenty minutes of his life. Their teammates for this angle of assault, an all-female team named Weki Meki, are absolute machines. While lacking an Ace, they still held the spot for Special Ops. team last year, a feat not easily achieved. All this is to say—Haknyeon and Eric are in good hands.

Everything was going great, of course, until the lair started to kick into an emergency state, locking everyone in various lab rooms with thick Spirit Iron bars, unbreakable in the time they needed to get out. One of the Weki Meki warlocks had pushed Eric and Haknyeon out of the room at the last possible moment into a crowd of killer robots with help cut off entirely.

_ One o’clock! _ Eric shouts in Haknyeon’s mind, making him whirl around at the last minute to swing his hammer in a wide arc, crashing one of the security bots deployed in the hallway. From inside of one of the lab rooms, Weki Meki’s Brawler Doyeon shoots Haknyeon a glare.

“Run ahead! We’ve only got ten more minutes and you’ve got a villain to catch!” Doyeon yells, throwing a bot into a row of chairs. Haknyeon nods, running towards Eric’s duel with three bots and swings his leg up to decapitate one of the bots. Eric zaps the other two, flashing Haknyeon a grin.

“Let’s go!” Eric yells, bolting down the hallway with his electricity in a wide sphere around him to paralyze all of the guards as he runs through them. Haknyeon is hot on his tail, picking up the stragglers as they navigate the labyrinth-like lair. Yoojung is shouting directions in Haknyeon's ear, trying to keep them on the right track. At some point, though, the connection tapers out after descending the tunnel too far, leaving Haknyeon and Eric practically blind. Hakneyon curses under his breath, smashing a robot into the wall with his hammer before launching an energy rocket down the hallway to buy them a few minutes of rest.

“Where the hell do we go now?” Haknyeon muttered under his breath. Eric sighs, shaking his head in defeat. He looks at the walls, trying to find some sense of direction in the decorations. Haknyeon joins him, starting to walk down the hallway.

“Mr. Kim said important people want to decorate their workplace with prettier pieces. Don’t you think it’d still hold for a villain?” Eric mutters. Haknyeon nods, scanning the numerous paintings that hang on the walls. He’s no art enthusiast, skills limited to recognizing one or two paintings from the old world. However, even he can tell these paintings were more high quality, more refined than the mess of photographs and abstract art that decorated the hallways they smashed robot heads into a few floors up. One of the paintings at the end of the hallway depicts a cliff with a giant red-and-orange bridge connecting it to the other shore. The water is dark and murky, as if polluted from the old world’s practices.

_ The Golden Gate Bridge, _ Eric points out,  _ I saw it a lot whenever we went to the States for vacation. _

Haknyeon nods along, a frown on his face as he spots another painting, hung on the back wall of another hallway. This one leads to an office area of sorts, where desks and chairs swirl around a central statue. The painting depicted something Haknyeon couldn’t recognize at all, some kind of flowing field of grapevines.

_ That’s a vineyard near my place in America _ , Eric points out. Haknyeon nods. Eric was still one of those rich kids, even if his parents made him lie about it for all of his life. A tidbit of information that shattered Sunwoo and Eric’s friendship, apparently, but Haknyeon can understand. The Aristocracy… it’s impossible to tell what kind of people really populate it.

_ And the statue? _ Haknyeon asks. Eric stops in his tracks, suddenly frozen as he stares at something in the corner of the room. Haknyeon follows his gaze, jumping backwards as he finds out the something is actually a someone.

“I was beginning to wonder when you’d show up,” a woman drawls, stroking a giant katana as she sits cross-legged, a cheshire smile on her face as she turns to face Eric and Haknyeon. Haknyeon frowns. There’s something familiar about her, but he can’t seem to quite place it.

“Who are you?” Haknyeon blurts out, watching as the woman frowns, dropping her blade by her side as she stands up.

“I thought you’d recognize one of your leaders when you see them, dearest,” she tsks, stiletto boot heels clicking on the floor as she walks into the center of the room. Magic pools at her finger, making Haknyeon tense as he squints, trying to discern the woman. Matte black hair, smooth and silky as it hangs on her shoulder. A cheshire smile on her lips, mysterious and mischievous at the same time.

“You— You’re a Board member,” Haknyeon stammers, suddenly tensing up as he faces possibly the strongest person in the world, right in front of him. The US representative of the Warlock board, who holds the strongest seat on the whole board. She’s known for her deadly katana and portal making powers to rival that of a spirit guide, even after it dimmed from losing her spirit in battle. But… what is she doing here?

“Bingo,” the woman drawls, looking over at Eric as her smile tightens. "But I’m sure you have questions, don’t you? Why am I doing this, maybe? Or why you two managed to get here unscathed?”

Haknyeon glances over at Eric, who’s staring at the woman with a mixture of shock, confusion and fear. Haknyeon grits his teeth. He has to stall. They can’t take her, not alone.

“Yeah. All of that,” Haknyeon drawls, tensing up as he eyes the woman carefully. Surely he can push Eric out of the way in time to dodge one attack, right? Eric can run then, while Haknyeon pops back into the spirit world and hide for a few moments.

The woman smiles. “Finally, someone willing to  _ listen! _ ” she cackles, maniacal glee in her tone as she throws her hands in the air.

“We are so weak as a society, aren’t we?” the woman begins, glancing at Haknyeon with a grin. Haknyeon tenses, but doesn’t retort. Stall. He needs to stall.

“We’ve instilled a belief of content into the younger generations, taming the wild beast inside of them. A whole army of warlocks, and yet none of us even think to scope into the lands of Shadows. Imagine all that we can reclaim! Imagine the world that we can remake, shape in the way we want! Why should we listen to the whims of those powerless? Why should we limit ourselves to the boundaries of our own spirits and magic when we can run wild and destroy the world with it!” the woman exclaims, glee glinting in her eyes. Haknyeon frowns.

“Because we’ll destroy the world?” Haknyeon points out meekly. The woman scowls at him, making Haknyeon jump.

“Foolish boy, I thought your days as warlock would’ve taught you a thing or two. You’ve seen how easily we can crush the Shadows. Why stop there? We could cleanse the world of this threat, send them back to the Shadow Realm where they belong!”

Haknyeon furrows his brows. “But then the spirits would have to fight them too, and they can’t beat the infestation,” Haknyeon counters. The woman rolls her eyes, a scowl on her face.

“Spirits,” she spits. "They’re just even more Shadows, waiting to revert. Haven’t you learnt the truth last summer? You broke into my old lab and everything, didn’t you?” the woman drawls, making the hairs on Haknyeon’s arm stand up.

“Y-you knew?” Haknyeon stammers. The woman rolls her eyes again.

“Of course I knew. After all, I made that serum to show the world how dangerous you scums  _ all _ are. To show the world your  _ true _ nature and origin,” the woman spits, stabbing her katana into the floor as she summons her magic. Haknyeon panics. Help isn’t coming, he realizes belatedly.

Help isn’t coming.

“Come over here, Youngjae,” the woman smiles wickedly, hand coming up to beckon Eric over. Haknyeon tenses, whipping his head over to Eric.

“Wait, what?” Haknyeon blurts out, confused as he watches Eric’s expression melt into panic.

“I…”

The woman scowls. “You wouldn’t dare disobey your mother, would you?”

Haknyeon’s mouth falls open.

Wait a second.

What?!

_ Eric? _ Haknyeon asks, trying to keep himself in check,  _ she’s your what now? _

“I can’t— You— You were— They said you were insane— I… You—” Eric stammers, shrinking away as the woman starts to fume in anger.

“Your father was a fool to let you grow up here. You’ve grown soft,” the woman snaps. Haknyeon doesn’t register her words, only able to stare at Eric in disbelief. All this time, he was hiding a secret like  _ that _ ?

“Haknyeon,” Eric sputters out, turning to Haknyeon in panic. "Listen. I didn’t know. I—I really didn’t know. She—”

The woman snarls. “I should’ve brought you into the business a long time ago. You’ve gone soft, haven’t you? It’s that boy, isn’t it? Sunwoo? He’ll pay for making you so soft.”

Eric’s eyes widen. “N—No! Not him!” he cries, suddenly spurred into action as he takes a step closer. The moment he does, something triggers like a trap. His body starts to glow, making Haknyeon reach out and grab his arm reflexively. The instant he makes contact, the world blurs, making Haknyeon lurch forwards as he stumbles.

Haknyeon blinks, suddenly feeling a cold breeze on his back as he looks up. The entirety of Seoul spans out beneath him, the glass balcony of the Seoul Tower vast and clear as Haknyeon gasps, trying to regain his breath. Portals. Right, portals.

Nails grip around the base of his neck as Hakneyon feels himself being picked up. He’s helpless, uselessly struggling as the woman comes into view, a snarl on her face as she stares at him.

“You’ve made him go soft too, haven’t you? You’ll be punished for that,” she snarls, low and threatening.

“No, wait!” Eric’s yelps echo in the wind as Haknyeon feels a blade stab through his guts. The metal is cold and sharp, knocking the wind out of Haknyeon’s lungs as he chokes, blood staining his lips. His vision blurs, brain barely registering it as he feels his body hit the ground with a thud. The woman’s magic curls around him again, and before Haknyeon can even process the sharp pain screaming through his body, the glass balcony of the Seoul Tower is replaced with pure open-air as Eric’s screams ring in his air. Gravity takes over, and suddenly Haknyeon is falling, falling, falling. Pain envelops him like a shadow as it caresses his cheeks, dusting off every last bit of consciousness as Haknyeon can only blearily look at the dimming sky.

_ He didn’t know _ , Haknyeon reminds himself, every last bit of energy directed into trying to remind himself Eric couldn’t have possibly known. He just wasn’t that kind of guy.

So here he is, falling through the sky as the wind whistles certain death in his ears. His vision is blurry now, almost all black as Haknyeon loses his last ounce of fight. He wonders if he’ll be reincarnated again, has to face Hyunjoon all over again and a choke bubbles in the back of his throat in the midst of the pain.

Hyunjoon.

Haknyeon wants to cry.

He never did get to tell him, did he?

Never got to tell him in the last life, and this one went by like a flash too. There was always something in the way, from all the crazy stuff since the summer to all the hesitance Haknyeon couldn’t seem to get rid of from his last life. There was always something about the risk of losing the innocent and blissful smiles Hyunjoon would send Haknyeon that he couldn’t bear facing, so he never said anything.

Maybe, he won’t ever get to say it. He wasted his second chance, after all.

_ I love you _ , Haknyeon mouths to the wind, hoping it’ll reach the soul he so desperately cherished. Maybe the winds will be kind on him, finally tell Hyunjoon the three little words stuck in Haknyeon’s throat for so long.

He loses consciousness, the pain too intense for his body to even register the wind whistling in his ears as Haknyeon squeezes his eyes shut. Maybe in another life, he’ll get to say it for real. Maybe in another life, things wouldn’t be so complicated.

Maybe in another life, Haknyeon would be conscious to feel a pair of arms wrap around his, pulling him into a hug mid-air as a panicked cry resounded in his deaf ears.

He’s too late.

Sunwoo feels it in every inch of his being as he rushes through the open portal in the middle of the fourth-floor basement. Hyunjoon is hot on his tail, barely a moment after Sunwoo as the Seoul Tower comes into view. Yoojung lost connection with them the moment they descended the stairs, but she sent a promise to come to pick them up at the portal’s other end. Back up is coming, she says, but they need more time.

“No, wait!” Eric’s voice rings in the air the moment Sunwoo pops out the other end of the portal. He barely has time to register the wind on his face before he spots a woman stabbing a giant katana through Haknyeon’s gut. Hyunjoon cries, rushing over at light speed as Haknyeon is thrown over the balcony. The woman spots them, gaze turning to steel as she growls. She swings at Hyunjoon, kicking in Sunwoo’s reflexes as he extends his magic, blocking off the impact as Hyunjoon dives after Haknyeon. Eric is on the side of the balcony, on his knees and sobbing as he stares after them helplessly.

“You little—” the woman yells, turning to rush at Sunwoo as she raises her katana. Sunwoo barely has time to react as he pulls up a barrier, watching helplessly as it shatters like glass, the sheer impact slamming him into a nearby metal column. Eric yells, electricity crackling through the air as Sunwoo chokes, picking himself back up. When he finally stabilized, Sunwoo finds an absolutely ridiculous sight.

He recognizes the woman, of course, the same woman from the files he and Hyunjoon found earlier. Her black hair is glowing with bright yellow magic as she scowls, no longer resting on her shoulder like it did in the photo. Her smile is replaced with pure rage, fuming and boiling in her eyes as she parries Eric’s attacks and strikes back with intense power. Eric is, somehow, keeping up with it all, blinking around at the speed of lightning as he fires at the woman with electric bullets from his hoverboard. Sunwoo suspects he’s only keeping up because of some other reason.

Sunwoo heaves a breath, readying himself as he charges back in. Eric presses his back against Sunwoo, but instead of the cocky, self-assured Brawler Sunwoo has grown up with, this Eric is emotional and wild, powers no longer in check as he charges with no rhyme or reason. Sunwoo extends his barriers to wrap around Eric, protecting him from a few stray strikes before the woman growls.

“Enough!” she yells, slamming her katana into the grown as a wave of energy knocks Sunwoo off of his feet. She charges at Eric, swinging her katana into him as Sunwoo’s last barrier shatters, sending him crashing into a column. He goes limp almost immediately, making Sunwoo scream as he starts to run towards him. The woman turns around and glares at him, murder in her gaze as she snarls. She takes a step towards Sunwoo, katana raised before stopping, conflict in her eyes as she scowls. She taps her ear, muttering something before glaring at Sunwoo.

“It’s your lucky day, isn’t it?” the woman hisses, pushing Sunwoo off his feet with another wave of energy as she runs towards the edge of the balcony, jumping off and towards who-knows-where. Sunwoo doesn’t pay her any mind, all too concerned with Eric as panic clouds his vision. When he reaches him, Eric barely has a pulse, skin almost cold to touch as Sunwoo whisper-yells panicked mantras of his name. Sunwoo rocks back and forth, clutching Eric in his grasp as tears stream down his cheeks.

No, not like this.

Not now!

“Please, wake up. Eric, please, please wake up,” Sunwoo sobs, clutching Eric’s head in his arms as he cradles him. Eric’s breath is faint, barely brushing against Sunwoo’s sleeve as Sunwoo’s tears drop down onto his cheek, glistening in the moonlight. Memories come pouring out of his mind like a flood, from their first meeting to the day Eric tossed Sunwoo into the air for managing to earn Hyunjoon’s respect. Here lies his best friend from absolutely forever, the one person to stick with Sunwoo through thick and thin, always so ready with a bright smile and addicting energy. Here lies the brightest light in Sunwoo’s bleak world, like a beacon of hope for Sunwoo in a sea of obsolete darkness.

Here lies the person who made Sunwoo’s world warm and safe, now cold and broken in his arms.

“Please, don’t leave me. Wake up, please. They’re coming, they’re coming right now. Please, don’t leave me. I—”

Sunwoo chokes, burying his face in the crook of Eric’s neck. He can’t lose him. Sunwoo can’t imagine a world without him and Eric together, no matter how many stupid arguments they have. He finds out that he couldn’t care less if Eric was secretly a part of the one layer of society Sunwoo hated with all of his being. Sunwoo didn’t care if he just found out that Eric’s mother could possibly be a psychopath who runs the world. Sunwoo couldn’t find it in himself to care about any of it, because the Eric he knew and loved isn’t made of any of those facts. He’s Eric Sohn, simple as that, and Sunwoo would be damned if he didn’t absolutely love him with every fibre of his being.

“I love you,” Sunwoo whispers, sobs wracking through his body.

“Sunwoo?” a voice calls from behind him. Sunwoo looks up, body fighting the action as it begs for him to cling on, as if it was going to magically make Eric wake up. Hyunjoon comes into view, Haknyeon draped over his back and Sunwoo feels his heart shatter into a million pieces.

“She’s getting away,” Hyunjoon says, echoing the sentence telepathically as venom drips from his tone. There’s a hint of anger in his words, vengeance fueling the fire in his eyes as he looks at Sunwoo, seemingly emotionless as he sets Haknyeon down, summoning a bow into his hands.

“I have one shot, but it won’t go through without your help,” Hyunjoon proposes, a challenge in his eyes. Sunwoo widens his eyes.

Vengeance.

He could help Hyunjoon and exact vengeance. Making that villain pay for what she did. He could help Hyunjoon shoot her out of the sky and no one would have to know, no witnesses to the breach in the Warlock Code. Sunwoo could do it.

But could he?

Could he really help murder someone, even Eric’s possible psychopathic mother? Could he even look at such a thing?

Hyunjoon notches an arrow, not even waiting for an answer as he fires it, the silver tip glinting in the moonlight as it whizzes towards the escaping back of a murderer and a psychopath. It streaks like fate’s own punishment as it flies through the air, a sudden red mist threatening to snap it in half as Sunwoo makes a decision.

He extends his hand, willing his magic to protect the projectile as he watches it envelop the woman in teal light on impact, exploding into a million invisible pieces as he sobs. Hyunjoon is staring at him with respect in his eyes, but Sunwoo can’t help but feel his stomach twist in every way. He levels his gaze with Hyunjoon, tears streaking down his cheeks.

_ You’ve killed before, haven’t you? _ Sunwoo hisses in his mind, feeling an ugly feeling drown him out completely. Hyunjoon grimaces and Sunwoo can sense his hesitation.

_ I’m not a baby. Tell me the truth _ .

Hyunjoon sighs, defeat in his eyes as he stares at his weapon, absolutely emotionless.

_ We all have to kill out there, Sunwoo. It’s their life or ours. _

Sunwoo grits his teeth.  _ Is it right? Is it right to kill someone? _

Hyunjoon hardens his gaze.  _ Life doesn’t offer easy answers, Sunwoo. She could kill a million others if we let her go. No prison can hold her. She could come back and finish him off. Would you risk that?  _ Hyunjoon drawls, gesturing to the broken body in Sunwoo’s arm. Sunwoo squeezes tighter, feeling his emotions well up in his chest.

_ There’s no right choice in the real world, Sunwoo,  _ Hyunjoon whispers, a soft edge to his tone as a gesture of comfort,  _ only the ones you make yourself. _


	17. The Crescent Moon Beneath Your Nose

The next day, there aren’t any answers.

Jaehyun has effectively paced about 3km in the hospital, worried out of his mind as he waits for any news. At some point, Juyeon, his poor hospital waiting shift partner, manages to calm him down enough to wait on the couch like everyone else. His brother and his spirit have been in there for what feels like an eternity (6 hours), the rest of the strike team from that day either gone home to rest or already out of surgery and patched up decently. Kevin had reassured him from talking to the doctors earlier that they’ll both make it, but there’s a high chance Eric won’t recover entirely. Apparently, he hit his head a little too hard when…  _ she _ attacked him.

“You’re beating yourself up,” Juyeon points out, whispering under his breath. Jaehyun drops his head into his hands.

“No shit, Sherlock,” Jaehyun mutters, the sound muffled in his palm as he feels Juyeon’s hand start to rub his shoulder, trying to ease the tension out of him. Jaehyun tries to focus on the gesture, but all his mind can process is Hyunjoon’s recount of the event from what he knows, although even that sounds filtered. 

According to Hyunjoon, they found out that the US Board Member was secretly the brains behind the entire operations, holding the whole organization afloat in her pipe dream of invading the Shadow Realm and wiping it clean. They chased her onto the deck of the Seoul Tower, where they found out she had thrown Haknyeon off the balcony and thrust Eric into a giant metal pillar before making her escape. The helicopter backup from Yoojung arrived later, managing to pick them up just in time for Eric and Haknyeon to be rushed into the hospital.

He didn’t say anything more.

“You also know something we don’t, don’t you?” Juyeon says softly, trying to keep his voice soothing when Jaehyun can clearly hear his curiosity bleeding through. Jaehyun bites his bottom lip, glancing around nervously.

“I know her,” Jaehyun mutters, voice quiet as he avoids Juyeon’s gaze.

“How so?” Juyeon presses on, ever the gentle nudge in the right direction. They’ve been spending more time together, friendship founded on their mutual interest to hide away from the craziness and tension of the past few months. Jaehyun finds Juyeon to be… reassuring, like a rock for the constant swirl of confusion that plagued Jaehyun. He’s comforting, but not overly so like Kevin and Jacob. Just an ear to listen and willing to open himself up, raw and in all the lights possible. Jaehyun sighs. He owes it to Juyeon to be truthful.

“She’s my stepmother,” Jaehyun supplies, watching as Juyeon blinks. The hand on his back stops, now replaced with a loose grip as Juyeon grips.

“That… and I thought Kevin’s family was a piece of work,” Juyeon mutters, concern laced in his tone. "Your father married a psychopath?”

Jaehyun chews on his bottom lip.

“I’m not too surprised, really, considering what the doctors always said. It’s why I practically raised Eric my entire life. They’re just… too unstable most of the time,” Jaehyun murmurs. "Although I guess there was also something else.”

Juyeon grimaces, but there’s no pity in his eyes. The pity Jaehyun loathes receiving is instead replaced with soft sympathy and concern, bleeding into the way his hand starts drawing circles into Jaehyun’s back again.

“What about your biological mother? Wouldn’t she have known?” Juyeon asks. Jaehyun shakes his head, blinking away tears that don’t come out anymore.

“Dad killed her. I was three then.”

Juyeon is silent.

Sighing, Jaehyun sits up, rubbing his face as he stares into the corridors of the hospital.

“Eric’s all I got for my real family,” Jaehyun says, watching as Juyeon sighs, leaning his head against Jaehyun’s shoulder.

“You feel like real family to me,” Juyeon says, breaking the tension as he glances up at Jaehyun. Jaehyun turns to him, a mixture of fondness and warmth pooling in his stomach as he musters a small smile.

“Same for you, too.”

He wakes up to white.

His head is throbbing like a bad headache, barely coming together enough to recognize the scene as the hospital ceiling. He blinks again, finding himself covered in a thin sheet as the dimly lit room’s silence is cut by a sharp intake of breath. He looks over to find a figure standing up over him, one with pretty pink hair and an expression of pure relief on his face.

“Oh my god, you’re awake!” the boy exclaims, soft relief in his tone.

A frown.

“Who are you?”

The boy’s face falls. “Selective amnesia,” he mutters, before looking up. "You really don’t remember anyone, Eric?”

Another frown, now coupled with a quick head tilt. “Eric? Is that… me?”

The pink-haired boy winces, mouth set in a hard line as he reaches up to brush a fringe of blond hair out of Eric’s vision. At least, he thinks he’s Eric.

“You’re Eric Sohn, my annoying teammate and accidental best friend,” the boy confirms, recoiling into his chair as he bites his bottom lip.

“Sunwoo won’t handle this well,” the pink-haired boy mutters under his breath. Eric furrows his brow, something clicking in his brain.

Sunwoo.

A face pops into his head, one with bright red hair and a bright smile that could rival the sun.

“I know that name,” Eric recalls, placing a single memory onto the forefront of his brain as he hears himself whispering something in the memory.

_ I’ll never let your smile go away, Sunwoo! _

Sunwoo must be someone important.

The pink-haired boy widens his eyes. “You… remember him? Wait, what else do you remember?”

Eric frowns, squeezing his eyes shut as he tries to scour his brain. He remembers his life, sure, but the memories of bright days and rain-filled nights are void, empty of people that Eric can’t recognize. Regardless, there’s the beautiful boy basking in the sunlight with his deep red hair and a bright smile… and another guy, this one much more older-looking and mature as he brushes Eric’s hair out of his face, much like what the pink-haired boy just did. He feels like a brother, like someone Eric had known for all his life. In fact, they both feel familiar.

“I… there’s someone else. Someone comforting. Like… do I have an older brother?” Eric explains, trying his hardest to squeeze out a name. Nothing comes up.

“You do. His name is Jaehyun,” the pink-haired boy supplies, eyeing Eric nervously as he purses his lips.

“I could call him in if you want?” the pink-haired boy proposes. Eric frowns, debating his choices. One was more certain, probably able to fill in the gaps of Eric’s memory while the other… felt more special. Like he meant something.

“Could you… call Sunwoo here instead?” Eric asks tentatively, watching a smile bloom on the pink-haired boy’s face.

“Sure thing.”

Sangyeon is happy.

Really, he is, content swarming through him as he watches his team welcome an amnesia-riddled Eric home after the doctor has cleared him. Haknyeon is the first to tackle him, burying his face in Eric’s chest as he heaves with relief. They were only allowed a few visitors in the brief day Eric had to do his checkups, so Haknyeon hadn’t been able to see him awake yet. The others follow suit soon enough, particularly loud when Changmin practically laments how much worry ice cream he’s eaten in the week Eric spent in a coma. 

Younghoon was the first to wake up, obviously, which greatly decreased their need for ice cream in the house as Changmin busies himself fussing over Younghoon. He can’t quite walk around normally yet, still spending a large portion of his time asleep in his room attached to an IV bag. At least the doctors let him go home.

Next was Haknyeon, whose spirit abilities let him heal faster than humans as he woke up a mere three days after the surgery. He’s completely normal now, back to training and school life with the rest of the team. His bright energy is infectious, no longer diluted in the mess of tension from the past few months. Even Hyunjoon seems to have brightened up from it, although Sangyeon wonders if it has anything to do with their new intertwined pinkies under the dinner table.

Eric is by far the saddest wake-up. The doctor said he has selective amnesia, and his case seems to have made him retain everything except the identity of the people around him. It’ll heal soon though, between the meds and Eric’s own magic circuits. Only two weeks, the doctor assured, and he’ll be fine to resume normal activity within the day. He’s already started to remember, although it seems to be limited to just Sunwoo and Jaehyun. According to Eric himself, it’s because Jaehyun seemed to be present entirely through his life as a comforting presence, while Sunwoo just… felt special.

Sangyeon hasn’t lived for a thousand years to not recognize the implication.

“You’re gonna have to tell him, Sunwoo,” Sangyeon says one day, leaning against the doorframe of the patio as he catches Sunwoo staring at Eric, Jaehyun, Jacob and Juyeon play blind-folded basketball. Sunwoo bites his bottom lip.

“You two promised to be truthful, didn’t you? Don’t hide this from him,” Sangyeon points out, watching as something passes through his eyes. It’s the same look as whenever Sunwoo is asked about  _ that _ night, the same one Hyunjoon conceals under his careful and cold gaze.

“And don’t hide what you did to his mother from him either,” Sangyeon tries, watching as Sunwoo tenses up.

“You know about that?” Sunwoo whispers meekly. Sangyeon nods meekly.

“Hyunjoon told me. First kills are never easy, kiddo. Take it off your conscience.”

Chanhee doesn’t like the chill on his spine when Jaehyun opens the door to his house. It’s an apartment, sure, but it’s also a penthouse and ridiculously big. The fact had always been implied after the Gala, but seeing it with his own eyes… Chanhee supposes this must be what Changmin felt last summer.

“And this is just… your runaway place?” Chanhee asks. Jaehyun nods, a grimace on his lips as he walks into the apartment. A runaway place. For the unstable moments. According to Sunwoo, this was their real place.

“I just need to get our old stuff. Before they can track down the place, you know?” Jaehyun explains, gliding over to the hallway as he ducks into a room, presumably his. Chanhee hasn’t actually been here, spending the week before school started in America at some big festival. They stayed in the hotel for the most part, and Chanhee had just assumed American hotels were nicer.

“You look like you’re adept at packing up your life and going,” Chanhee notes, watching Jaehyun stuff clothes and a few items into a suitcase. Jaehyun looks up at him and shrugs.

“Had to do it a few times. They’re more unstable than not most of the time,” Jaehyun mutters. Chanhee frowns.

“How are they both Board Members when they’re like… that?” Chanhee asks, watching as Jaehyun grimaces, slamming his suitcase shut.

“Dad’s the strongest retired warlock in Korea, and stepmother is the strongest one in the States. The board doesn’t know that they’re psychopaths,” Jaehyun explains, straightening up as he gestures for Chanhee to toss him some of the stuff from the bookshelf. They’re books, mostly, save for the occasional trophy and a cute cat plush. A part of Chanhee can’t help but notice how much it resembles Juyeon.

“This one looks new,” Chanhee notes, marvelling at how stain-free the cat plush was. His own penguin is practically orange now. Jaehyun averts his gaze.

“Juyeon bought it for me in the summer when we ran here to escape Sunwoo and Eric’s… incident,” Jaehyun explains. Chanhee raises an eyebrow, making Jaehyun roll his eyes.

“Don’t get any ideas,” he warns. Chanhee just smiles.

“Absolutely idea-free right now,” Chanhee deadpans as Jaehyun chucks a pillow at him. He’s still smiling though, although it looks more exasperated than anything.

Yeah. Life’s getting back to normal.

It’s painful, Sunwoo thinks, whenever Eric looks at him and the trace of familiarity is just… gone.

His gaze is empty more often than not, the rest of the time replaced with curiosity as he stops spending so much time with Sunwoo. He’s starting to gravitate to the others lately, people like Juyeon and Chanhee higher up on his affection list while Sunwoo can only grasp at the strands of their former friendship. A part of him knows it won’t last, knows that Eric will eventually remember and float back to his side like a stream finally finding its way to the river. Sunwoo just can’t help but wonder if the stream will pick up something else along the way and he’ll lose the one thing he had precious between them in the first place.

“You’re jealous,” Jacob deadpans, stuffing a spoonful of cereal into his mouth as the microwave glares 2 AM at Sunwoo. Sunwoo just groans.

“I figured as much,” Sunwoo mutters under his breath and Jacob smiles sadly at him.

“He’s really going to be the one that gets away if you don’t tell him, though. There’s no history between you anymore. You’re no more than a teammate to him right now,” Haknyeon points out, offering Sunwoo a piece of bread as he munched on his own. Sunwoo scowls but accepts the offer anyway.

“But what if he doesn't like me back? What if he never did? I don’t want to force it onto him,” Sunwoo retorts, nibbling on a piece of shortbread. Jacob and Haknyeon exchange a secretive glance.

“He called you special when he woke up, Sunwoo,” Jacob pipes up, a soft smile on his face. "That’s gotta count for something.”

Sunwoo doesn’t know if it does.

Eric’s the first one to bring it up. They’re sitting with each other at lunch, permitted to leave early because they managed to clear Mr. Kim’s escape room puzzle fast enough. With lunch resting easy in their stomachs, Eric pulls Sunwoo under the tree their team has practically laid claim to, and makes him lie down to watch the clouds with him. The Eric that Sunwoo knew before never really had an interest in clouds, but Sunwoo supposes amnesia changes people.

The problem is, Sunwoo doesn’t know how much has changed.

“Were we ever… dating?” Eric asks, breaking the tense silence between them as he turns on his side to face Sunwoo. Sunwoo stares at him, stunned for a brief moment before shaking his head. His heart hammers, threatening to jump out of his chest at any moment.

“Just childhood friends,” Sunwoo supplies, ignoring the way his chest squeezes. He blames it on the school uniform.

“Really?” Eric asks, nose wrinkling as Sunwoo shoots him a confused look. Surely he doesn’t… 

“Really. Why do you ask?” Sunwoo replies carefully, unable to swat away the little bud of hope in his chest.

“You always look at me like you lost something, that’s all,” Eric mutters. Sunwoo frowns, pursing his lips. Eric is only a few inches away from him, so incredibly tantalizing. It was as if the universe was taunting him, daring Sunwoo to wake the risk. The cool November breeze is starting to chill him as Sunwoo sits up, staring at Eric with hesitation.

No, it wouldn't be fair.

“Sunwoo?” Eric asks, bobbing his head to the side and Sunwoo would be lying if he said it didn’t snip at his heart. Sunwoo shakes his head, ignoring the crashing panicko balls in his chest.

“It’s nothing.”

“Sunwoo’s confusing,” Eric drawls, burying his face into the decorative couch pillow as he grumbles. Jacob looks up from playing with Kevin’s hair while his boyfriend sleeps in his lap to shoot Eric an exasperated look.

“You just don’t remember everything, Eric, it’ll make sense soon,” Jacob tries, watching as Eric’s nose scrunches up. He grumbles, throwing a mini temper tantrum that shakes the couch before sitting up with a sigh. Kevin stirs in Jacob’s lap, shifting to bury his face in Jacob’s left hip bone. Cute, Jacob notes.

“It’s not me. I know exactly what this is,” Eric insists, gesturing to his chest area. "But Sunwoo? He’s indecipherable! I asked him if we used to date before and he said no, which makes  _ everything _ so much more complicated now,” Eric laments, throwing his arms up dramatically as he flops onto his back. Kevin stirs again. Jacob shoots Eric a glare.

“Sorry,” Eric mutters back. Jacob sighs, back to methodically carding his hand through Kevin’s soft locks.

“Why is it so complicated now? Can’t you just tell him how you feel?” Jacob proposes. Eric shakes his head, wrinkling his nose as he smacks himself on the forehead.

“If we were together, then the transition would be so easy. But what if the old Eric had a crush on someone else and all of that’s gonna be returned with the memories? I can’t tell him now, he’ll just tell me I don’t have the full story or something,” Eric moans, dramatically smacking himself with a pillow. Jacob rolls his eyes. He’s been spending too much time with Chanhee.

“I can guarantee you Eric Sohn has never had a crush on anyone but Kim Sunwoo,” Jacob reassures, watching with a fond smile as Kevin leans into his touch. Eric sits up, his hair sticking out at odd angles and Jacob stifles a snort.

“I want to kiss him,” Eric deadpans. Jacob smiles at him, relief coursing through his veins.

“And what’s stopping you, exactly?”

Hyunjoon doesn’t really know how it happens.

“We need to talk,” Haknyeon deadpans, standing almost menacingly at the doorway. Hyunjoon raises an eyebrow.

“About…?” Hyunjoon begins, still confused. Haknyeon rolls his eyes, taking two short bounds into Hyunjoon’s room as he tackles Hyunjoon onto his bed. Hyunjoon yelps, almost defensive when Haknyeon loops his arms around Hyunjoon’s waist and pulls him into a tight hug.

“Y’know,” Haknyeon begins slowly. "I never got to kiss you in this life.”

And just like that, Hyunjoon’s cheeks flush a ridiculous red.

“Oh my god,” Hyunjoon mutters, flustered as he tries to bury his face in Haknyeon’s neck to hide.

“I’m just saying!” Haknyeon points out, a grin on his face. "We never got the chance to make shit official because of the… y’know….”

Hyunjoon winces. His memory drifts, recalling a past mere hours before a death he never thought would’ve happened. Haknyeon, ever the cheeky bastard, had given Hyunjoon a tiny little peck on the forehead ‘for motivation purposes’, he claimed.

Little did they know…

“Stop that,” Haknyeon chides, cupping Hyunjoon’s cheeks in his palms as he scowls. Hyunjoon purses his lips.

“I’m so—“

Before he could finish, Hyunjoon is (lovingly) tackled to the floor.

“This isn’t— ah! Stop! This isn’t fair!” Hyunjoon protests, yelping as Haknyeon presses another kiss on his nose, fingers digging into Hyunjoon’s side as he tickles him. Hyunjoon howls with laughter, trying to fight the attack and ending up failing miserably.

“Then stop apologizing!” Haknyeon chides, eyes filling with mischief as Hyunjoon wrinkles his nose.

“I will, I will! Just stop tickling— Stop!” Hyunjoon cries from laughter, wincing as Haknyeon keeps on running his fingers up and down along Hyunjoon’s side. Writhing on the floor, Hyunjoon glares at him.

“You’re a menace,” Hyunjoon announces, poofing into a cat to escape Haknyeon’s grip. Haknyeon laughs at him, sitting back as Hyunjoon jumps into his lap, curled up in cat form as he meows.

“I love you, you know that?” Haknyeon whispers, stroking Hyunjoon’s fur as pure joy blooms in Hyunjoon’s little feline chest.

_ I love you too, _ Hyunjoon meows back, hoping the message gets across. Haknyeon smiles, that one beautiful grin of his that makes Hyunjoon’s world a little brighter.

Yeah, he could get used to this.

“You’re awake,” Changmin announces, staring at Younghoon’s half-asleep form with a fond blossom in his chest. Younghoon smiles at him.

“I’m awake,” he agrees, staring at the bowl of porridge in Changmin’s hands. "And you have food.”

Changmin grins. “That I do.”

He spends the next few minutes spoon-feeding Younghoon and pulling up the blinds at the same time, sparing a moment to check if his IV drip is still working properly. Younghoon asks about the others and Changmin gladly complies, telling him about anything and everything from Juyeon showing up to class with mismatched socks to Eric and Chanhee spilling nail polish onto Kevin’s bed and being chased around their floor for a solid ten minutes. Younghoon laughs along the whole time, the amused and content smile on his face not wavering even when the urge to puke bubbles at his throat. Changmin pats him on the back and reassures him through it, gentle and soothing as Younghoon’s miserable face afterwards splits into a wide grin. Changmin feels his chest squeezing.

“You’re beautiful when you smile, you know that?” Changmin asks, watching as pink dust Younghoon’s pretty cheekbones.

“And you’re always beautiful,” Younghoon whispers back, their moment becoming even warmer and more comforting as Changmin grins at him.

“How long do you think this peace is gonna last?” Younghoon asks, biting his bottom lip nervously. Changmin grimaces, thinking back to why Younghoon was even in bed in the first place.

“Hopefully, until the end of the school year. I’ve had a wild first year, thank you very much,” Changmin mutters. Younghoon shoots him a sympathetic smile.

“Are you better now?” Younghoon prods, forever caring even though he’s the one hurt. Changmin loves it about him, how endlessly selfless Younghoon is.

“Yeah, I think so. I went out with Hee the other day. Just to the river for a walk,” Changmin responds, trying for an easygoing smile as Younghoon beams in pride.

“I love you,” Younghoon whispers. Changmin presses a soft kiss onto his lips.

“I love you too.”

Eric doesn’t know exactly how he ends up in this situation.

He’s at the end of his 2 weeks amnesia deadline now, recalling practically everything about his life by now. Sunwoo is just as Eric thought he was, a special person who worms his cool presence into Eric’s too-bright world like an anchor in a violent storm. He’s there for Eric’s everything, always ready to lend a shoulder for Eric to cry on even when Eric couldn’t tell him why he was crying.

The spark in Eric’s chest is more of a wildfire now, consuming him whole and raw and Eric has no choice but to embrace it. Embrace that he loves Sunwoo with every little bit of his being regardless of how Sunwoo might’ve felt in return. He never had a choice, Eric thinks, because falling in love with Kim Sunwoo is as natural as breathing. It’s not complicated. It’s not life-shattering.

It just… happens.

“I remember it all now,” Eric whispers, voice low as he stares at Sunwoo’s eyes and the tip of his nose peeking out through the blankets enough to be illuminated by the moonlight. Eric is lying next to him, head resting on top of Sunwoo’s right arm as he traces every little detail on Sunwoo’s face. It’s like an endless treasure trove, Eric thinks, the beautiful mashup that makes up Kim Sunwoo.

“All of it?” Sunwoo asks, something akin to hesitance in his voice. Eric nods, wondering if it was a good idea to say it all now.

“We really never dated, did we,” Eric mumbles, watching Sunwoo’s expression morphs into confusion. It’s adorable, Eric thinks. A part of him chews out pre-amnesia Eric for being so dense with his feelings. He could’ve kept this sight for himself all this time.

“No, we didn’t,” Sunwoo drawls carefully, eyeing Eric as he frowns, lips set into an adorable pout. Eric reaches his hand up and cups one side of Sunwoo’s face, warmth tingling in his chest as Sunwoo makes a noise of confusion. He leans in, brushing their noses together and stopping mere moments away from Sunwoo’s pretty plump lips. The saying was really true. You never know what you love until you lose it.

“Let’s change that,” Eric whispers tentatively, searching Sunwoo’s eyes for any hint of withdrawal, only to be pleasantly surprised when Sunwoo closes the distance, eyes closing entirely. His weight is comfortable on Eric’s own, his left arm swinging down to Eric’s waist to pull his entire body closer. The kiss is messy, somehow both of their firsts as teeth and nose gets in the way, but Eric can’t stop the bubbly giggle that tumbles out of his lips and against the kiss. Sunwoo returns it eagerly, a bright smile on his face when they finally pull apart.

“I’m an idiot,” Sunwoo mumbles and Eric can only laugh as he echoes the sentiment.

“But you’re  _ my _ idiot,” Eric retorts, feeling his body tingle all over as Sunwoo smiles back, lazy but content. A part of Eric revels in the fact that he gets to be the only one to see this sight. The only one to be able to hold Sunwoo like this. The only one to hold the world in his own tiny hands.

“I… I need to tell you something,” Sunwoo confesses, eyes suddenly filling with guilt as he averts his gaze. Eric frowns, leaning in to press a soft kiss on Sunwoo’s nose.

“Go ahead,” Eric urges. Sunwoo bites his bottom lip, glancing at Eric nervously as he opens his mouth.

“Your mom… I don’t think you’ll ever see her again. Me and Joonie… made sure of that,” Sunwoo mutters, suddenly curling into himself as Eric tries to piece together what he means. Realization hits Eric like a splash of cold water to the face.

“You… but the code?” Eric asks, more confused as to why he doesn’t feel the remorse. It feels almost anticlimactic, in a way.

“Joonie says people break the code all the time,” Sunwoo mutters, voice small. "It only matters if you can justify it.”

Eric pulls him into a tight hug, squeezing Sunwoo comfortingly.

“You saved so many people,” Eric whispers against his collarbone as Sunwoo chokes back a sob.

“I killed someone, Eric. I killed someone. Someone important,” Sunwoo mutters like a mantra, burying his nose into Eric’s hair.

“Someone would have, sooner or later. Don’t blame yourself.”

Sunwoo chokes. “But she’s your mother!”

Eric shakes his head. “She’s a psycho. I barely see her anyway.”

Sunwoo is silent, but he’s still shuddering against Eric. Eric starts rubbing circles into the small of his back, hoping to be of some kind of comfort as Sunwoo inhales sharply.

“I don’t deserve you,” Sunwoo mutters. Eric shakes his head, pressing another kiss to the corners of Sunwoo’s mouth as he shushes him.

“I told you. I’m gonna protect that beautiful smile of yours forever,” Eric whispers, smiling as he chases for another kiss. Sunwoo sighs, right hand starting to root itself to Eric’s scalp as he cards through Eric’s locks, pressing butterfly kisses all over Eric’s face. 

The warm tingle from before feels more like an ocean of warmth now, drowning and suffocating- and yet Sunwoo still manages to slot breath into Eric’s lungs. It’s nearly magical, Eric thinks, how the flutter in his chest grows and blooms like a tender flower after months of care. Like he was finally bursting through the soil, Eric drowns himself in Sunwoo, allowing himself to just exist for a moment. He had the world in his arms, and nothing could take that away from him.

“Love you, Sun.”

“Love you too, Ric.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what??? I didn't torture them even more??? truly, who am I???
> 
> lol hope y'all enjoyed the fluffy update god knows we all need some happiness :P


	18. Love is the Way

“Jae, wake up. I think we’re here,” a voice gently shakes Jaehyun out of his sleep. Jaehyun snorts, blinking as he slowly wakes up, sporting a massive crick in his neck from leaning against the window. The bus shakes under him, jostling Jaehyun gently as his phone nearly slips out of his hands. By the time Jaehyun is awake enough to process anything, he’s met with Juyeon’s crescent moons for eyes and a bright smile. The seat opposite to them has Eric practically bouncing, a sleepy Sunwoo being shaken violently as the noise wakes the whole bus up. Jaehyun debates stopping Eric for a brief second before deciding not to bother. He’ll just be bouncing off the walls when they get off anyway.

“Excited?” Jaehyun asks, watching with mild amusement as Juyeon’s smile brightens.

“Yeah, I guess. Just happy I made it through the first year,” Juyeon replies. The corners of his lips are quirked up like they always are, although this one has the slightest hint of anxiety in them. Jaehyun pats him on the back, sitting up as he stretches, ignoring Sunwoo’s annoyed ‘shut up’ from across the aisle. If there’s one thing Jaehyun knows from living with him for two decades, it’s that Eric never shuts up willingly.

“I heard you got top marks in your class,” Jaehyun supplies, watching as Juyeon’s cheeks dust pink.

“Yeah, Mr. Kim even gave me a perfect mark in Traps,” Juyeon mutters. Pride blossoms in Jaehyun’s chest as he pats Juyeon’s shoulder.

“You’re insane. Mr. Kim? We’re gonna celebrate this tonight. I heard from my cousin about this amazing barbecue place here in Busan,” Jaehyun decides, watching as Juyeon’s smile widens a little, a glint in his eyes.

“We have a free night?” Juyeon asks. Jaehyun purses his lips, shrugging lightly.

“I’m sure I can convince Younghoon to keep the strategy meeting brief. A perfect mark from Mr. Kim’s is nigh impossible,” Jaehyun assures him, watching as Juyeon nods, fingers starting to drum on his seat excitedly. Two seats behind, Changmin’s voice breaks their comfortable bubble.

“Guys, look! I can see the exam venue!” Changmin cries, pulling Jaehyun’s attention to the window. He puts his fingers onto the window, feeling the frost inside him revel at the cold touch. Jaehyun was always a little more adept at fighting in the winter, so he couldn’t be more suited for the end of year exams.

February snowflakes cover the edge of the bus window, barely kept at bay by the heating inside. They dust the city of Busan in a soft layer of white, gentle and inviting as Jaehyun spots the giant arena just a few kilometres from the docks. It’s a floating arena, roaming around the bay and waiting for warlock teams from all over the country to take the second half of their final exams in.

There was a point to having the exam as a collective community, as the ones they had at school could only judge so much. Teams should be held to a certain standard, and that standard isn’t allowed to be interpreted by just one school. A large group of professional and trained warlocks would be watching them through two rounds of exams, judging everything from their fighting skills to their teamwork. Afterwards, every warlock team would be sorted into three tiers: Patrol, Front line and Special Ops.

Patrols are destined for basic national security, mostly making sure shadows and rogue magic users within the nation are kept in check. Their job isn’t flashy, but they’re indispensable, taking up about half of the teams in the world. For most warlocks, it’s a good enough fate.

Front line teams had a more exciting life, sent to the front of the battle against the shadows, joining in campaigns to reclaim territory whenever possible, but mostly spoiling the constant invasions the shadows threatened on the world. The other half of warlock teams makes it here, living out the true Warlock dream to win glory and fame.

Only one team is chosen every year to become a Special Ops team, destined for top-line work like infiltration and leading the charge for important battles. Even then, most teams chosen for Special Ops lose their opportunity around the second or third year, unable to keep up with the workload. It’s a role for the best of the best and Jaehyun would be lying if he said he wasn’t expecting to get the role. TBZ won the tournament, after all, and they’ve only gotten better.

Jaehyun feels the hair on the back of his neck stand up, Juyeon’s gaze boring into him as he turns around, an eyebrow raised. There’s a Cheshire smile on Juyeon’s face, amused yet coated with something Jaehyun can’t quite place.

“You’re not going to stop until you’re the best, huh?” Juyeon asks as Jaehyun blinks in confusion. Did he say that last thought out loud?

“Always aim for the top spot, that’s my motto,” Jaehyun replies, an easy grin on his face. Juyeon cocks his head.

“You’re confident we’ll get it,” Juyeon deduces. Jaehyun can only shrug.

“To quote you from last summer,” Jaehyun smiles. "I believe in us.”

“Kevin Moon, I love you as much as platonically reasonable, but there is absolutely _ no way _ I am letting you go out tonight with  _ that _ ,” Chanhee deadpans, glaring at Kevin as he stops the other boy from leaving his room. Kevin frowns, scanning himself.

“What’s wrong with this? We’re just going ice skating, Chanhee,” Kevin points out, patting down his cream sweater and dark blue jeans. According to literally every romance movie Kevin has watched, this is a perfectly reasonable outfit, right? He even threw on some boots!

Chanhee shakes his head, pointing up at Kevin’s face. Kevin frowns, not getting the message. Chanhee sighs, barreling forwards as he squishes Kevin’s face in his hands, a scowl on his face.

“Exactly! You’re going ice skating! The greatest opportunity to look absolutely flawless given the fact that you can actually skate!” Chanhee exclaims. Kevin just frowns.

“I’m not getting you right now,” Kevin replies, words garbled from having his cheeks squished up. Chanhee sighs, exasperated.

“I’m gonna do your makeup,” Chanhee announces, not even letting Kevin process before he tugs him to the bathroom. By the time Kevin has enough time to register the M word, Chanhee has started to shove a giant makeup brush into his face, small hints of powder falling into Kevin’s nostril. He sneezes.

“I’m scared,” Kevin mutters, watching as Chanhee rolls his eyes in the mirror.

“You’ve put makeup on before, you’re a big boy now. Just hold still.”

The next hour is somewhat hell, with Chanhee showing Kevin an array of products and threatening to poke Kevin’s eyes with an eyebrow pencil. He gets a cramp sitting awkwardly on half of the stool Chanhee has set up in the hotel bathroom, trying his hardest not to shy away from the brushes. Chanhee is whispering soft praise as he works, trying to instill the slightest bit of confidence into Kevin. When he finally pulls away, Kevin can only gape.

And honestly? Kevin can see why people spend hours getting ready just for one outing.

“If Jacob malfunctions, thank me later” Chanhee announces. Kevin doesn’t respond, only gapes slightly. He looks… barely different.  _ Good _ different, mostly, but still barely different. It’s hard to believe it took a whole hour, but Chanhee insisted on trying out a million combinations on the back of Kevin’s hand to find ‘the perfect natural look’.

“Can I thank you now?” Kevin asks. Chanhee rolls his eyes.

“Just go out there and make sure all eyes are on you, pretty boy.”

Jacob’s not really sure what he expected when Chanhee told him to go ahead with the others to the rink while he kidnaps Kevin for an hour. He had been confused, of course, but anticipation pooled in the pit of his stomach regardless. Chanhee wanted to try something, apparently, and Jacob trusts him. For the most part.

He’s put on babysitting duty for the hour, trying to make sure Hyunjoon doesn’t strangle Eric for throwing a snowball at him while simultaneously trying to teach Sunwoo how to skate. Jaehyun and Juyeon have left for their little barbecue date downtown beforehand, promising to meet back at the hotel room a few hours later for the strategy meeting. Something about celebrating the impossible becoming possible.

Changmin and Younghoon are already at the center of the rink, skating hand in hand under the bright Busan night sky, even managing to dance to some of the Kpop songs the outdoor rink is blasting over their massive speakers. Out of the corner of his eyes, Jacob finds Sangyeon and Haknyeon on the bobsledding hill, the latter always on a need for speed as he sped down the course. A part of Jacob silently thanks Sangyeon for taking that shift. Jacob’s not scared of it, per se, but he’s gotten too much snow up his pants this winter.

_ Where are you? _ Kevin’s voice rings in his head, snapping Jacob out of his focus and making him miss Sunwoo’s yelp and fall. Jacob whips his head to the entrance of the rink, squinting to find Kevin.

_ I’ll come to you, just wait _ , Jacob echoes back, returning his focus to helping Sunwoo stand up. Sunwoo whimpers.

“I hate skating,” he yells, starting to slide again as his skates move against his will. Jacob laughs.

“Do you want to get off?” Jacob asks, amusement bubbling in his chest as Sunwoo nods vigorously. They start skating back to the entrance, Sunwoo, practically screaming with every second glide as he grips onto Jacob’s arm like a clamp. His feet are frozen, only moving because Jacob’s dragging him. Cute.

Hyunjoon is there when they reach the edge of the rink, probably sensing Sunwoo’s distress as he helps Sunwoo off the rink. There’s a mountain of snow behind him and a grenade launcher on his shoulder, making Jacob raise an eyebrow.

“He’s fine,” Hyunjoon says, probably sensing Jacob’s worry.

“Define fine,” Jacob drawls. Hyunjoon shrugs.

“Just a little cold. Go find your boyfriend,” Hyunjoon says, waving Jacob off as he runs off to follow Sunwoo’s yelps from trying to walk to his bench. Jacob sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“They’ll be fine,” Kevin’s voice cuts through his thoughts, snapping Jacob to attention as he whirls around. Instantly, the panicko balls in Jacob’s chest slams together, exploding into a million pieces as Jacob loses any sense of speech. He can only gape, taking in the sight in front of him.

Kevin’s dark red hair is styled up, the fringe barely dusting over his pretty eyelashes and Kevin’s eyelids are coated in a tiny layer of red, glitter on the ends of his elongated eyelashes. His lips are cherry red, adorable and plump- a stark contrast to Kevin’s naturally pale skin. The cream coloured sweater on him that Jacob knows he stole from Jacob is now fitted with a pretty silver ribbon at the dip of the collar, glistening under the light.

To put it bluntly, Kevin is beautiful.

“You… uh, you look— really… oh my god,” Jacob stammers, blinking rapidly as Kevin’s face splits into a sheepish grin.

“Surprise…?” Kevin squeaks. "Do you… like it?”

Jacob’s eyes widen as he surges forwards, pulling a squeaking Kevin in as he kisses the living daylight out of him.

“Like it?! I love it! Kev, you’re beautiful!” Jacob exclaims, watching as Kevin’s cheeks flush bright red to match his hair.

“I am?” Kevin asks, voice small and Jacob can only feel love drowning him as he pecks Kevin’s pretty cherry-red lips again.

“You always are.”

Younghoon wakes up to something even better than peace.

Chanhee is tucked in the dip of Younghoon’s collarbone, nose brushing against the bone as his breath is warm and even. His legs are tangled within Younghoon’s. One of his arms is squished between them, the other thrown haphazardly over Younghoon’s torso. His eyes are half open, soft pink hair tousled and resting on his long lashes. If Younghoon had to make an analogy, he supposes only a fairy could match Chanhee’s beauty right now.

“Good morning,” Chanhee whispers, voice low and husky from sleep. Younghoon’s heart squeezes.

“Good morning,” Younghoon whispers back, burying his nose into Chanhee’s hair, drinking in his scent as a sigh bubbles in the back of Younghoon’s throat.

“Good morning!” Changmin chirps from over by the bathroom door. A small part of Younghoon remembers that Changmin’s the only one out of them that actually belongs in this room. They’ve accidentally made it a habit to steal Juyeon’s bed whenever they have to travel anyway, he should be used to it by now. Really, Juyeon should just switch roommates with Jaehyun, seeing how Chanhee never sleeps in his actual bed.

“Today’s the day,” Changmin continues, walking over to the bed and flopping onto Younghoon’s other side. He buries his face into Younghoon’s neck, smiling into Younghoon’s skin as he leaves butterfly kisses. Younghoon squirms, free arm instinctively finding Changmin’s hand as he grasps it, squeezing lightly.

“You two are gonna be great.”

The briefing ceremony is as short as they ever get, only allowing Sangyeon another hour of sleep before Younghoon jostles him awake. Grumbling, Sangyeon pushes himself up on his chair, rubbing his eyes.

“The first exam’s about to start,” Younghoon whispers. Sangyeon blinks the sleep out of his eyes, staring down at the arena beneath him. The whole arena is huge, spanning the size of a small city as it hosts a variety of simulated environments.

In the center of the arena is a large, flat plain with minimal obstacles save for a large tower in the middle of it. Dark spires and barred windows line the side, every inch a storybook villain tower.

At the far end from where Sangyeon is sitting, a sprawling cityscape extends into the sky, empty and ready to be destroyed. Gray and wholly uninteresting, Sangyeon can’t help but note how different it is from the vibrant streets of Seoul.

On the left side, a large tropical forest extends into a simulated beach, temperatures inside of the arena regulated to prevent the snowstorm outside from interfering.

To his right, a massive canyon extends down tens of kilometres, simulated winds blowing through them. It leads into the section closest to Sangyeon, which hosts an icy tundra of sorts, frozen over as little pieces of the storm outside are let in. Sangyeon is suddenly grateful for the glass barrier between the viewing area and the arena.

“What’s the first round?” Sangyeon asks, watching as Younghoon pulls out his notepad. It’s upgraded, now attached to a clipboard for ease of use as his scribbles stay the same unreadable font Sangyeon never bothered to try and decipher.

“Switching spirits,” Younghoon explains, tapping on his pad. "Because they should be able to work with each other outside of their designated pairs. Each in a region playing some weird version of dodgeball with the spirits randomly exchanged.”

Sangyeon hums, crossing his arms as he leans back on his chair.

“Who’s with who?” Sangyeon asks, trying to spot his boys from the circles of warlocks standing on the border of each region, similar to the Team Selection exams a few months back.

“Jaehyun’s with Jacob in the ice region here, while Haknyeon and Kevin are in that big tower in the middle. Juyeon and Hyunjoon are running around in the canyon, while Sunwoo and Chanhee are holding out in the tropical zone. Obviously, that leaves Changmin and Eric in the city, so nothing too bad overall,” Younghoon explains, drawing out columns on his board. A smile worms onto Sangyeon’s face. Even during an exam, Younghoon will be trying to find ways to improve the team’s technique and chemistry. His diligence is half the reason Sangyeon chose him, after all, seeing how observational and hardworking Younghoon is. He’s a true gem, and Sangyeon couldn’t care less about finding him so late. The brightest diamonds will always find a way to shine through.

“You look tense,” Sangyeon observes, watching the way Younghoon seems to be tapping his pen just a little faster than usual, biting his lips a tiny bit harder and seemingly vibrating faster.

“I’m just worried, I guess,” Younghoon mutters. Sangyeon reaches his hands out to pat Younghoon’s back.

“They’ll be fine. Trust me.”

Chanhee is, in fact, not fine.

“Seven o’clock!” Chanhee screams, shooting down another wave of dodgeballs as Sunwoo ducks, protecting them in a barrier as something explodes against the transparent layer.

“Why us?!” Sunwoo moans, recoiling his shield and shifting it into a jetpack as he runs over to Chanhee and boosts them deeper into the jungle. Chanhee grits his teeth. They can’t just survive until the timer runs out, even if that’s been the game plan for the past hour and a half. Not only would it give them a terrible score, but it’s also just plain impossible when the entire arena seems to be hot on their tails. They need to do something, retaliate in some way.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I really wish we hadn’t won that tournament,” Chanhee jokes, panting and heaving as he leans against a tree to catch his breath. They weren’t exam takers anymore, but a measure for success. Defeat the best team in the nation and suddenly the fame redirects, after all. Chanhee can’t blame that mentality.

“I wonder how the others are holding up,” Sunwoo mutters, head suddenly perking up as footsteps echo in the distance. Chanhee flinches, ready to run when Sunwoo sighs.

“We need to do something,” Sunwoo points out, shifting his weapon into a shotgun as he turns towards the footsteps. Chanhee frowns.

“There’s like, twenty pairs out there. We can’t beat them,” Chanhee counters. Sunwoo just smirks.

“Who says I’m fighting them,” Sunwoo responds, suddenly pointing his shotgun up and blasting down a part of the canopy. He then spins his barriers into web-like tendrils, hanging all over the trees around him. Chanhee quirks an eyebrow up, confused. Regardless, he lends a bit of his strength to Sunwoo to speed up the process, covering the trees around them in an invisible net with two exits, one in front of them and a tiny one behind them. Then, Sunwoo shoots his shotgun straight up, blasting a giant explosion visible from miles away. Chanhee’s eyes widen.

“Are you crazy?!” Chanhee exclaims, watching as the entire jungle seems to zero in on their position. Sunwoo just grins.

“Maybe. Just watch and help me keep the barrier up,” Sunwoo retorts, covering them in his three-layer protection barrier. Chanhee bites his bottom lip. Surely Sunwoo wouldn’t lead him wrong.

As he expected, they’re attacked within the next few minutes. An apocalyptic wave of attacks fire at them, to which Sunwoo’s barriers simply absorb. The two entrances and exits of the net are barren, sure, but it’s infinitely easier to shoot down from Chanhee’s position. At some point, their attackers got impatient, and suddenly Chanhee finds two dozen figures charging at him, weapons raised. Sunwoo grabs his wrist at that point, boosting them out with a coach gun as he squeezes his hands together. The net twists and tightens around the attackers, trapping them like flies in a spiderweb as Sunwoo and Chanhee barely escape. Someone tries to fire a blast of fire to escape, but the net only tightens. Chanhee turns to Sunwoo, incredulous.

“Kevin got me some Chinese Handcuffs the other day,” Sunwoo explains, a maniacal grin on his face as he readies his dodgeballs. Chanhee just laughs.

“You  _ are _ insane,” Chanhee guffaws, joining him as they send this wave of warlocks back to their starting zone. Instantly, their names shoot up the leaderboard, finally gaining some points. They don’t have time to celebrate though, as another wave of pursuers suddenly jumps out from the jungle. Sunwoo turns to them, unleashing all of his magic into missiles and shoots their attacks right back at them. Chanhee leaps into action, readying his lance as he spars with the stragglers, shooting dodgeballs covered in light energy at the warlocks.

The initial surprise runs out, though, and once again Chanhee and Sunwoo are on the run. They’re chased out of the jungle, feet landing on the smooth and silky sand of the beach as the entire arena seems to be hot on their tails. Chanhee grabs Sunwoo’s wrist and yanks him into the water, diving under the wave as he grits his teeth, channelling light magic into the tip of his lance for another missile blast onto the sand. Cover is supplied for a moment as Chanhee dives under the waves, trying to ignore how cold the water is. They only have a few seconds.

Sunwoo seems to be out of ideas, resorting to protecting them from more attacks. Chanhee grimaces, furrowing his brows as he looks around. What would Younghoon do…

A grin spreads on Chanhee’s face as he pulls Sunwoo out of the water.

“Blast the water on my mark,” Chanhee whispers, not waiting for Sunwoo to nod before he starts using his light to weave a giant wall around them, extending into the sky like a giant bottle, funnelling into a single opening at the top. Chanhee jumps onto the top, blasting his light at their pursuers to catch their attention. One of them whirls to him, growling as he yells at his fellow warlocks. Chanhee grits his team. There really was an alliance to get them.

As soon as the first few waves of attacks launch, Chanhee lets himself fall into his woven trap, grinning as he watches about a dozen figures dive in with him. Sunwoo is at the bottom, staving off one wave of their attacks before Chanhee yells, squeezing the sides of the light bottle over top of the intruders. Sunwoo seems to understand, blasting up the water as it punches the warlocks and spirits, slamming them into Chanhee’s light attacks. They throw dodgeballs at the attackers in the small moment of paralyzation, sending them back to square one as Chanhee explodes his bottle, sending the light energy out and slamming those still on the beach into the Jungle. Sunwoo joins him in the attack, eliminating what seems to be tens of warlocks and spirits at a time. They climb up to the top of the leaderboard, exploding like a rocket as the timer alerts them with only ten seconds left.

For a moment, all is clear as Chanhee collapses onto the beach to catch his breath, chuckling as reality catches up to him.

“We’re both insane,” Sunwoo announces as Chanhee stares at the snowy sky outside of the arena. He grins back.

“That we are,” Chanhee mutters to himself as the timer buzzes, signalling the end of the first round of exams after two gruesome hours. Two exhilarating hours, Chanhee might add, but two passed ones nonetheless. Relief courses through him.

He can only hope the others held their own, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omai what's this? 2 fluff chapters in a row?!?!?!?!?!?!?


	19. The Return of Rich Assholes

In any other circumstance, Changmin would totally silently thank Lady Luck for assigning him and Eric to the city zone. The amount of conducting metal in the city alone is enough to keep their points steadily rising, allowing Eric free reign to jump from metal pole to metal pole like lightning, eliminating people before they can even see him while all Changmin has to do is to make sure people miss him. They’ve even found him a hiding spot and installed a camera on Eric’s shoulder (courtesy of Kevin) for maximum protection, but therein lies the problem.

Once you’ve made yourself the powerful one, nobody cares about amassing points for themselves anymore. Being able to knock Eric out seems to be the new goal, and Changmin really doesn’t know how long he can keep him hidden for.

“Eric, we need to regroup. You’re barely getting anyone at this point,” Changmin hisses through their comms, head swivelling up to see if anyone has found his alleyway. So far, they’ve all ran past him.

_ “Get to the electricity tower then, I’ll try to do another lap,”  _ Eric yells back over the comms, out of breath and strained. Changmin grits his teeth, shifting the cloak over Eric just a few inches to the left to screw with his pursuers before tucking away his phone. Changmin peeks his head out for a moment, finding a duel in the middle of the streets and immediately recoiling. He grits his teeth, looking back through the alleyway. He can’t exactly run the other way, there's a giant wall blocking him.

Changmin sighs, running towards the wall to gain momentum as he bounces off it, pushing himself up as he jumps onto a nearby window ledge. He continues to jump upwards, hanging from pipelines to swinging from balcony banisters, climbing four whole floors before peeking his head onto the rooftops. He spots a group of warlocks jumping from rooftop to rooftop and curses under his breath. The rooftop isn’t an option either.

Gritting his teeth, Changmin glances around the alley. He doesn’t have much to work with, only a mess of clothing lines and metal pipes. Cloaking himself won’t work either, since he needs to move far—and fast. Changmin sighs, considering telling Eric to stick to the plan when he feels a light tap on his shoulder.

“Need a hand?” a voice calls out, startling Changmin out of his daze. He whirls around, pulling out his spear and nearly slicing Sanha’s head off.

Wait.

“Sanha?” Changmin stage whispers, thoroughly surprised as Sanha shoots him a lopsided grin.

“My dude’s getting spawn camped and I need points,” Sanha explains, scratching the back of his head. "And you guys won the tournament and everything, so…”

Changmin grins at him.

“All good. I’m sure Eric won’t mind. But now that you’re here, I’m gonna need your help…”

If you asked Changmin, he’d tell you the plan went absolutely  _ perfectly _ .

The other warlocks and spirits had flocked to Changmin’s illusionary explosion like moths to a light, storming towards them in dozens. Sanha had been the linchpin, pulling up all of the steel inside of the buildings underneath as they trapped the attackers. They get a bunch of points off the back of it, agreeing to split up to divert the pursuers’ attention as Changmin flashes Sanha one last grateful smile.

Changmin gets to the tower with relative peace, only having to duel a lone wolf shifter on his way. Eric is unmistakable when he arrives, bright yellow energy surrounding him as he barrels towards the tower like a shooting star, pursuers hot on his tail. Changmin cocks back his sniper gun, attaching dodgeballs to the nozzle as he reigns hell on the attackers. Their team name climbs to third place in the zone leaderboard, attackers staved off for a few moments as Changmin and Eric retreat to the safety of the concrete walls.

“You pulled something off, didn’t you?” Eric accuses him, a wide grin on his face. "And you say you’re useless in this.”

Changmin rolls his eyes, waving Eric off as he reloads his sniper, channelling more energy into the weapon. “We need a plan,” Changmin says calmly. Eric nods, stretching as he flips his hoverboard into a slingshot. Suddenly, the building shudders, throwing Changmin off balance.

“What was that?” Changmin asks, eyes wide. Eric zips over to the window as the building shakes again. He looks at Changmin, gaze hard.

“They’ve got a wrecking ball out there!” Eric announces, gritting his teeth. "I didn’t even know you could get one!”

Changmin’s brows furrow. They have a minute, tops. Running away would be suicidal, and fighting back is an immediate no. They simply don’t have the firepower, no matter how ridiculously charged up Eric is. That leaves only one option, and Changmin really can’t believe he has to turn to Mr. Kim for this one. He meets Eric’s eyes, finding the exact same game plan reflected in Eric’s gaze.

“Operation Catch and Release?” Changmin proposes, watching as a wide grin spreads on Eric’s face.

“You got it,” Eric shoots back, jumping out the window to start the plan. Changmin turns to the stairs, running up to the roof again as he holds out his palm, simulating a clone of himself and Eric jumping away from the building. A few fall for the trap, running towards their retreating figure as Changmin turns to the scene. Out of the corner of his eyes, Changmin can spot Eric jumping onto the side of the wrecking ball and sends out a cloak to mask him as much as he can, pulling out his sniper gun.

As soon as the wrecking ball fully retreats, Changmin starts firing suppressive fire. They spot him almost immediately, but the couple of seconds he bought is enough as the wrecking ball lights up like a firework, electricity drumming on its surface and exploding out like a giant bomb. Changmin peeks up again, sniping at the paralyzed targets as Eric spins a web of electricity around the area, holding dozens of enemies into his grasp as the one minute blares over the arena.

Changmin jumps to his feet, changing to a spear as he dives into the fray, striking left and right at the paralyzed targets and sending them back to the starting line. Eric’s back slams against Changmin’s at some point, a wide grin on his face as he shoots down target after target. The shock wears off with only ten seconds left on the clock and Changmin knows it’s now or never. TBZ has climbed to second place, but if there’s one thing spending the past year with over competitive and cocky warlocks have taught him, it’s refusal for anything but the best.

Slamming his hands together, Changmin sends out a giant wave of nightmares, incapacitating one last group. He kicks into overdrive, jumping from body to body as he tags them with a ball, the timer beeping wildly in his ears. Eric jumps to his side, pistols barring as he mows down incoming attacks, buying Changmin precious milliseconds as he moves in for the final swing, a familiar face popping into view.

“Good night,” Changmin whispers as the Prestige girl from the finals last June appears before him, balls of energy in her palms as she tries to fire at him. Changmin slices it in half and tags her, watching as she fades away, leaving nothing but a point token on the ground as the siren blares, signalling the end of the exam. Changmin lands on the concrete building top and pants, a wide smile on his face as Eric comes down from his power overuse high.

“Good night indeed,” Eric mumbles, eyes fluttering close as he passes out, the strain too much. Changmin barely catches him, laughter bubbling in his throat as Eric scowls at him, sleepy but satisfied.

“Rest up. Everyone’s gonna be so proud of you.”

Jaehyun knows he’s being childish, but it’s really not fair how he’s the only one out of breath right now.

Jaehyun heaves, gasping as he leans forwards, bracing himself on the wall with one hand. Jacob, in all of his magical being glory, is perfectly fine, leaning against the icy walls of the tunnel system under the arena, humming to himself as he tunes his ukulele.

It’s  _ absolutely _ unfair.

“We need to deal with one of those Prestige kids earlier,” Jacob notes, wincing as one of his strings produce an out of tune note. He twists one of the knobs on top of the instrument, completely ignoring Jaehyun’s heavy pants. It’s really un—

“You need to do more cardio, my guy,” Jacob says, raising an eyebrow. "Strategy and traps can only take you so far. Old Jaehyun could totally run another three miles.”

Jaehyun sighs, trying to hide how much the comment digs into him. “I’m used to Chanhee’s boosts,” he mutters, refusing to look Jacob in the eye. He’s gotten sloppy, Jaehyun realizes, between the intensive Ace course load and hours spent trying to chase leads on his wild theory about the shadows and their mysterious serum.

“I suppose that’s the point of the exam, then,” Jacob muses, standing up straight as he strums some unknown melody on his ukulele. "What’s the game plan now, chief?”

Jaehyun shrugs, banging his head against the tunnel. Between Jacob’s echolocation and his own ability to change the tunnels, the plan has mostly been reliant on traps. Lure a couple of warlocks into the tunnels, collapse them and then collect points. Whenever they’d get chased down, the plan just told them to run and lose the others in the tunnel system. It worked perfectly for almost two hours, only starting to fall apart at around the twenty minutes warning siren.

The problem is, there are only so many exits now, and practically everyone seems to be looking to defeat the tournament champions. They’re cornered in, unable to even touch the surface now.

“We need to get out of here,” Jaehyun mutters under his breath. Jacob nods, a smile on his face.

“Thought you’d never ask,” Jacob mutters back, aiming his ukulele straight up as he strums, a giant sonic blast funnelling into the ice as it cracks open. Jaehyun stares in disbelief. He couldn’t move that much ice, much less break it all open. Unfair, a small part of Jaehyun’s brain whispers.

His reflexes kick in before the childish side of Jaehyun can spend another five seconds moping around, boosting them up and out of the tunnel system. As soon as they reach the surface, the entire arena collapses onto their position. Jaehyun grits his teeth, slamming his foot down as ice swirls around him, a temporary shield for a few moments. He signals for Jacob to push them away, relief coursing through his veins when Jacob seems to have gotten the message, eyes glowing bright blue as he blasts the sky with a powerful sonic blast, momentarily incapacitating the field around them.

Before Jaehyun’s brain can even start to process a plan, an explosion bores through his wall, knocking him backwards. The cold chill of the arena’s icy terrain caresses his cheeks, feeding into Jaehyun’s magic as he groans, pain shooting up his back.

A figure steps through, a wicked smile on his face as Jaehyun catches the badge on the approaching figure’s coat. He scowls.

“Prestige,” Jaehyun hisses, watching the opposing warlock’s face split into a wide grin.

“Prestige,” he agrees, raising up his hands as he blasts Jaehyun with another explosion. Jaehyun rolls out of the way, scanning his surroundings for Jacob. The spirit is nowhere to be found, but sonic blasts ring in Jaehyun’s ears. Whatever Jacob’s doing, he won’t be of much help. Which means…

“I’ve been looking forward to our rematch, Lee Jaehyun! I’m sure you must have been nervous for this moment!” the Prestige warlock taunts, tossing explosions after explosions at Jaehyun. He’s a Brawler, no doubt at it, possessing everything from a cocky attitude to the preference for close-quarters. Jaehyun dodges the explosions, flinging ice pellets at the warlock as he slides behind spikes of ice on the ground.

“Sorry, but who are you?” Jaehyun calls out, watching as a scowl sours the warlock’s expression. A small part of him curls at the sight. It’s childish, sure, but Jaehyun loves being petty.

The warlock snarls, slamming his hands together in a giant explosion. Jaehyun is knocked off his feet, thrown off balance for a millisecond before restabilizing on the side of his ice walls. An idea strikes him, drawing a smile on his face as Jaehyun lays his palm onto the wall, channelling his magic into the walls to contain them, building up into a large bottle as he jumps from wall to wall, maintaining the thick walls as the Prestige warlock continues to blast explosions at him. Jaehyun pulls out his blade, deflecting most of the blast as he can feel the air heating up from the blasts. Water vapour pools at the tip of his nose from the heat, allowing a small smile to pull at Jaehyun’s cheeks.

“Why are you running?! Too afraid?!” the warlock yells, blasting a particularly large explosion at Jaehyun. Jaehyun rolls away from it, unable to keep his smile in check as he remains in a crouching position, blade drawn behind him and one palm on the ground. The Prestige warlock frowns at him.

“Why are you smirking?” he asks, confused. Jaehyun shrugs.

“Do you know how tornadoes form, o great imbecile?” Jaehyun asks, watching with amusement as the Prestige warlock’s face heats up in anger. He holds out his hand and blasts Jaehyun again in lieu of a response. Jaehyun doesn’t jump out of the way, instead deflecting the explosion right back at the guy, knocking him off of his feet.

“Hot, moist air meets with cold, dry air and creates circulating winds,” Jaehyun explains, a smirk on his face as he covers himself in ice, a roof over his head and feet rooted to the ground. The Prestige warlock jumps to his feet, confusion in his eyes but a scowl on his face. He blasts Jaehyun again, to which Jaehyun simply deflects again.

“And then suddenly, a twister is formed,” Jaehyun whispers, watching as realization dawn to the Prestige warlock’s face, too little too late. Jaehyun slams his palm against the ice walls, pushing the cover on their heads out of the way as the cold air in the arena meets the hot, moist gas inside of their little chamber. The winds swirl together, rumbling and groaning as a twister spins the sky, big and  _ absolutely beautiful _ .

The Prestige warlock is sucked right into it, flung into the air as the winds sweep him away, screaming like a little girl. Jaehyun shifts his weapon into a rifle, taking in as he blasts a dodgeball at the warlock’s figure, sending him back to the start line. Others around are sucked in too, whirling around at top speed as Jaehyun spots Jacob standing on the edge of his ice spire, blade stabbed into the ice to keep himself still. There’s a wide grin of awe on his face before Jacob turns back to the twister. Jaehyun crouches, staying out of the twister’s range as Jacob inhales, eyes glowing white before he lets out a piercing screech.

The sonic boom blasts the entire crowd deeper into the twister, now spinning at top speed in the middle of the tornado. The twister starts losing winds too, much too weak now to keep the others afloat as Jaehyun boosts himself up, Jacob by his side as they eliminate warlocks in the dozen. The one-minute siren blares, the three letters ‘TBZ’ sitting prettily on top of the leaderboard as Jaehyun and Jacob send people back to the starting line by the dozens. Jaehyun grins.

Okay, maybe the whole thing is fair, after all.

The ending siren howls through the air, signalling the end of the exam as Jaehyun drops to the ground, a wide smile on his face as he whoops on top of his lungs. They’ve managed to amass more points than the rest of their arena  _ combined _ , guaranteeing a good showcase to the judges. The competitive demon that swirled inside of Jaehyun seems to revel in the victory, finally set to rest as Jacob extends a hand out to Jaehyun.

“Now  _ that’s _ the Jaehyun I know,” Jacob breathes, a wide smile on his face. Jaehyun grins right back at him.

“Good to be back.”

“Why won’t they just  _ stay _ eliminated,” Haknyeon whines, blasting another crowd with his rockets as Kevin lobs a bunch of dodgeballs in their direction, sending them back to the starting line. The problem is, the tower is strictly vertical, and the starting line still had plenty of room to shoot at them from the bottom of the tower. Haknyeon scowls.

“Isn’t that the whole point of the point system?” Kevin remarks, drawing a deeper scowl on Haknyeon’s face.

“But it’s so  _ annoying _ ,” Haknyeon complains, ducking into one of the rooms that line the side of the tower arena. Kevin shoots him a sympathetic smile.

“The only way we’re getting a break is if you somehow managed to subdue everyone at once,” Kevin points out. Haknyeon grimaces.

“Well then why don’t we?” Haknyeon retorts, glancing at the clock. Ten minutes. An elimination gives them five minutes. It would be perfect. Haknyeon glances at Kevin, watching him chew on his lips, eyeing the tower walls across from them.

“It’s not a bad idea…” Kevin drawls, splitting a wide grin on Haknyeon’s face.

The plan is ingenious, every bit a product of Kevin Moon’s mysterious brain. They run the entire perimeter of the tower, fighting their way through as Kevin covers the walls in some substance, sticky and akin to mouse glue traps. Their arena-mates are coated in it, stuck to the ground and unable to move. A few try to blast the way out of it, only for whatever attacks they fire to ricochet right back at them.

D30, Kevin had called it, shock-absorbent and an absolute pain to try to get out of. Haknyeon can practically feel all of the magic residue in the goo from the others’ struggles, so easy to draw on.

Haknyeon doesn’t spend time watching the scene in awe, sticking his hand into the nearest puddle of the stuff as he pulls on the magic blasts, letting it course through him before grabbing Kevin’s shoulder, transferring all of the energy to him as Kevin shudders.

“No wonder Eric’s always bouncing off the walls with this kind of energy,” Kevin mutters under his breath, drawing a light-hearted chuckle out of Haknyeon. Kevin squeezes his eyes shut, energy rolling out of him in waves as it morphs, shifting into a giant bucket of whatever sticky substance he was using over and having it pour into the tower, nearly suffocating whoever is pooling at the bottom. A couple of warlocks charge at them, slinging attacks but Haknyeon only opens his palms, absorbing the magic as he urges Kevin to continue to drown the whole tower in whatever substance he was using.

By the time they capture almost everyone in the trap, Kevin’s eyes fly open, tossing the dodge ball into the goo as he flicks his wrists around. Haknyeon whips his head to the leaderboard, watching their points rise. He’s about to cry out in joy when a figure appears in view. Haknyeon grits his teeth, knowing Kevin needs time to finish eliminating everyone. Drawing out his hammer, Haknyeon charges.

He’s facing a masked stranger with wild spiky white hair and a large katana, striking some long-forgotten nerve in Haknyeon. He grits his teeth, fueled with newfound determination as he swings his hammer down. The stranger sidesteps his attack easily, landing on one of the banisters as he signs something, suddenly creating clones of himself around Haknyeon.

Haknyeon grits his teeth, swinging his hammer in a wide arc to destroy a bunch of clones. They charge at him, katana pointed at Hakneyon’s chest as his reflexes kick in, ducking and dodging as he deflects what he can’t evade. He closes his eyes, trying to listen to the real footsteps. Changmin had told him once how to spot cloners and illusionists. They can only cater to one sense at a time, and most prioritize vision. The key, he said, was to listen for footsteps. Haknyeon has easily done enough night missions in his past life for that.

Haknyeon breathes in, letting the illusionary blades run right through him and shatter, waiting for the soft pattering of feet. The smallest scuffle echoes from his left flank, snapping Haknyeon out of his concentration as he swings his hammer, colliding with a solid body and slamming the stranger into the wall. Pulling a dodgeball from his standard-issued hologram-making bracelet, Haknyeon launches it at the stranger, watching as he disappears into thin air, sent back to the starting line. No time to rest though.

Hakyeon turns back to Kevin, who seems ready to drop at any moment from the strain of having to destroy bits of his substance to squeeze the dodgeball through. Hakneyon runs over to a nearby puddle and calls on the magic again, sending renewed energy to Kevin as something lights up in Kevin’s gaze.

The timer beeps red, seconds ticking down.

_ 5 _ .

Kevin pushes harder, their points suddenly jumping up ridiculously fast.

_ 4. _

Haknyeon spots another warlock trying to come towards them, weapon raised.

_ 3. _

He reaches out with one hand, shifting his hammer into a rocket launcher as he fires a shot.

_ 2. _

The warlock spends a precious second to dodge, and it’s enough time bought.

_ 1. _

Kevin yells, the final points registering on their leaderboard before he drops to his knees, breath heavy as he groans. Haknyeon rushes over, catching Kevin mere moments from hitting the ground.

“You’re gonna kill me with that one day, Hak,” he sighs.

Haknyeon grins. "Not today!"

_ Beep! _

The final siren blares out, cutting Hyunjoon out of his daze as he watches an arrow whiz past his face. The canyon wind is roaring in Hyunjoon’s ears, deafening and silent at the same time. He watches in horror as the arrow lodges into Juyeon’s back, just freshly out of his teleport. Hyunjoon whirls back to the offender, only to find no one there. Hyunjoon grits his teeth. Exam rules were clear. No casualties, especially after the exam has just ended. They even installed cameras to make sure—

_ Boom. _

Hyunjoon whirls around, eyes wide as he watches a hidden camera near him explode, a figure rising from the smoke. He backs up against the canyon walls, eyes wide as he glances at Juyeon. He’s too far for Hyunjoon to rush over and help, especially with the evident rule breaker stepping out from the smoke in typical villain style. A badge hangs on the figure’s left shoulder, Prestige’s logo gleaming under the simulated sunlight. Hyunjoon almost growls.

“So you’re the brat who cancelled my match at the Gala,” the figure drawls, glaring at Juyeon with venom in his eyes. Hyunjoon’s brows knit together. Whoever this figure is, she hasn’t noticed Hyunjoon, fully focused on Juyeon’s injured figure.

“I—” Juyeon chokes out, not even able to push himself up before the girl slams her heels into his back, the sharp end barely grazing his shirt as Juyeon collapses back on the ground, coughing out a spot of blood. Hyunjoon’s eyes narrow, starting to scale the canyon as he attempts to skirt around the psycho.

“And now you’ve taken away  _ my _ top spot?!” the girl yells, shooting daggers with her gaze. Hyunjoon feels unrest pooling at the pit of his stomach. Entitled brats.

“No one to save you now, though, Lee Juyeon,” the girl mutters, grabbing Juyeon’s neck and slamming him against the walls. Hyunjoon winces at the sight of his half-open eyes, blood gushing out from his back. There’s so little fight left in him, a combination of the exhaustion and injuries he sustained throughout the exam catching up to him in the moment.

“Your friend did us a favour, ridding himself from the Aristocracy name,” the girl snarls. "So why didn’t you? Or perhaps I should do it for you!”

Juyeon chokes out a half-answer, not able to finish a syllable when the girl holds a blade up to his throat. Hyunjoon jumps into action, silently summoning a smoke grenade as he tosses it into the fray. The girl coughs, screeching as she tries to run away. Hyunjoon grabs a hold of Juyeon’s limp body, running up the canyon walls as he grits his teeth. Just a little more. If they can get into another camera’s vision, the psycho Prestige girl wouldn’t dare to do anything.

“Hang in there,” Hyunjoon mutters, only for an arrow to whiz in his ears. Hyunjoon stops in his tracks, redirecting his momentum to bounce off the wall and dodge the arrow. The girl comes into view a moment later, wild rage in her eyes as she raises her blade. Hyunjoon summons a hammer from behind her, knocking the girl off course as he stabilizes on the opposing canyon side. He tries to jump again, only to feel pain shoot up his body as an arrow lodged into his calf. Hyunjoon stifles a cry.

“You will not deny me a second time!” the girl shouts, charging at them. Hyunjoon raises his hands, ready to pull out another weapon when a flail collides with the girl, sending her flying into a canyon wall as two figures rise from the smoke. Hyunjon turns to them, pleasantly surprised when he spots two familiar faces.

“Minho! Yeji!” Hyunjoon cries. Minho rushes to his side with a gentle smile, shouldering Juyeon’s unconscious body as he helps Hyunjoon up, boosting them out onto the Canyon top as ice explodes under them, rising up the Prestige warlock into broad daylight as Yeji stares her down, a scowl on her face.

“I don’t like rule-breakers,” Yeji hisses. The Prestige girl growls back.

“You vermin have no right to talk to me,” she bites. Hyunjoon growls back, ready to fight when Minho holds him back. He steels his gaze, telling Hyunjoon to stand down before turning to glare at the Prestige girl.

“The exam is over,” he announces to remind them all. Hyunjoon glances at Juyeon’s figure, slumped over and absolutely out of it. Something in Hyunjoon snaps, ignoring Minho’s panicked yelp as he jumps at the girl, grabbing her school-issued fighting uniform as he slams her against the ice.

“And you’re going to pay for this,” Hyunjoon hisses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyway, fluff break over >:D
> 
> Well, kind of.


	20. Happily Ever After...

Jaehyun is starting to develop a bone to pick with his teammates.

It seems that literally everyone and their mothers are falling over themselves to get into hospitals and treatment rooms. Whatever being in charge of their team’s luck must be deciding to screw them over. Jaehyun’s being childish, sure, but he really can’t help but curse the luck deities anyway.

The girl who had shot Juyeon down in yesterday’s exam was instantly expelled by the School Board themself, sent packing while the news seemed to run themselves ragged with the stories. They had moved the second round of exams back by three days to investigate Prestige’s conduct and whatever they were teaching their warlocks up there.

Juyeon’s family had flown to Busan the moment the news got out, ready to practically rip the girl’s head off. His sister, Mirae, had insisted on staying with her brother for as long as she could, an ear pressed against Juyeon’s figure to listen for his heartbeat. Jaehyun had been inclined to leave her alone then, but Ms. Lee had insisted someone be around to make sure Mirae was looked after.

Jaehyun sighs, rubbing his eyes and he glances at Juyeon worriedly. The soft morning light filters into the room in yellows and blues, the hint of the rising sun by the horizon. Jaehyun blinks. How long has he been sitting here for?

“Do you think he’s gonna be okay?” Mirae whispers, voice soft and worried as Jaehyun tries to send her a reassuring smile.

“The doctor said he’ll make a full recovery,” Jaehyun reminds her, although he’s not quite sure who he’s trying to comfort here. It’s rather ironic, Jaehyun thinks, how he’s now the one who has to look out for the one person in his life who would look out for him. Jaehyun’s stuck in a vicious cycle, really, opening himself up to finally just be in someone’s care only for them to leave him or get hurt in some way.

His biological mother had been the first one, but Jaehyun can’t seem to remember her for the life of him. Eric came light a bright ray of sunshine into Jaehyun’s meek world, the first to pry his inner protective instincts out. It was somehow enough back then to just see Eric live a life completely unaware of their parent’s… problems. Jaehyun made sure of that.

Younghoon was another casualty on Jaehyun’s long list, a long lost childhood friend who apparently committed social suicide the moment Jaehyun left him without notice. He hadn’t had the heart to tell Younghoon back then, which made reconnecting a little harder than Jaehyun had hoped for. They’re just good friends now, close yet not, at the same time. The difference was simple. Younghoon wore his heart on his sleeve, while Jaehyun kept his hidden.

His latest attempt at softening up came in the form of a cat-like boy with luck that resembled Jaehyun’s own in too many ways. They bonded over the mutual need for comfort, but Juyeon was somehow… different from Jaehyun’s other attempts. He was more muted with his emotions, yet just vibrant enough for Jaehyun to brush his problems off with. He was like the missing puzzle piece to Jaehyun’s happy ending, waiting to be slotted in.

And he could be slotted in so easily, but Jaehyun is… hesitant, to say the least. Who’s to say Juyeon won’t slip away like the rest of them?

“He’s waking up!” Mirae suddenly whispers, snapping Jaehyun out of his sleepy haze, eyes flying open as Jaehyun practically leaps out of his chair. Juyeon has started to stir, eyes still shut tight as he groans. Mirae squeezes his hand, blinking her blank irises as she smiles.

“Good morning!” Mirae cries, jumping up and practically tackling Juyeon in a hug. Jaehyun winces, concern taking over as Juyeon’s eyelids flutter open. He blinks once, twice, before turning to Jaehyun, confusion in his gaze.

_ How long? _ Juyeon mouths, hands coming up to ruffle Mirae’s hair. Jaehyun shrugs, glancing at a nearby clock.

_ Thirteen? Fourteen? Around that, _ Jaehyun mouths back. Juyeon nods, a grimace on his face. At some point in their reunion, Mirae fell asleep, probably exhausted from pulling an all-nighter out of worry. Jaehyun wishes she won’t have to do as many as he does.

“What happened?” Juyeon whispers once they’ve finished tucking Mirae into one of the couches, Jaehyun’s jacket tossed over her in a makeshift blanket. Jaehyun shrugs, settling back into his chair.

“I heard from Kevin that girl who attacked you got expelled,” Jaehyun begins, watching as Juyeon’s expression colours with relief.

“Took them long enough,” Juyeon mutters. Jaehyun risks a small smile. It’s refreshing, he thinks, to talk to someone who can finally think for themselves. He’s infinitely more comfortable with Juyeon for that single fact, just able to talk about his problems without worrying about sending the wrong message.

“They pushed back the second round ‘til the weekend, too, doing investigation work or something,” Jaehyun continues, watching as Juyeon’s shoulder droops, breath sagging as he grins softly.

“I repeat, took them long enough,” Juyeon mumbles, drawing a light chuckle from Jaehyun.

“How are you feeling, though?” Jaehyun asks, trying to redirect the conversation. Juyeon hums a noise of contemplation, seemingly scanning himself. He resembles a sylph, in a way, his soft edges akin to the soft wisps of clouds in the sky, while his normally sharp gaze feels less like a storm and more of a gentle breeze, warm in the pit of Jaehyun’s stomach.

“Thirsty, first of all,” Juyeon drawls, staring down at his hands as a smile draws itself on his face. "But I’m just relieved, mostly. I mean, surely they won’t pull the same kind of stunt again for a while, right?”

Jaehyun shrugs. “Never say never, young padawan. We have shit luck,” he jokes, watching as a wide grin splits on Juyeon’s face, a muffled cackle in his throat. Something clicks in Jaehyun’s brain, soft and gentle yet enlightening nonetheless. He supposes that somewhere down the line, Juyeon had found the doors past Jaehyun’s walls anyway. There was no hiding from a bird who had already found its way into the garden.

And for the first time in his life, Jaehyun dares to believe this bird won’t fly away come winter’s first snow.

To say Chanhee is relieved to have Juyeon back would be an understatement. Their team dynamic had always been a precarious one, balanced between the vibrant colours of louder and more chaotic members like Eric and Haknyeon and the muted hues of the quieter ones like Younghoon and Kevin. Juyeon had belonged in the latter half, oftentimes their calm and level head in more sensitive situations like temporarily losing a team member. While the others have tried their best to make up in his brief one-day absence, Chanhee knows they all miss him regardless.

They spend three days training and enjoying Busan’s youthful atmosphere. Younghoon, ever the observant one, is the first to bring up the new dynamic shift within the team, however one-sided it seems. Jaehyun, normally so loud and vibrant with his affection seems almost… guarded, around Juyeon, like Juyeon was a precious piece of china able to break at any moment. There’s something going on. Chanhee’s calling them a couple. Younghoon disagrees. Chanhee brings it up with Eric, hoping he knows something Chanhee doesn’t.

“Jaehyun and Juyeon?” Eric asks, mouth half full with scrambled eggs and pancake syrup. Chanhee cringes internally at the sight but decides to brush it off. He loses too many brain cells around Eric anyway, and questioning his habits is definitely not helping that department.

“Yeah. Haven’t you noticed something… off with them? Jaehyun, specifically,” Chanhee drawls, eyeing Eric’s orange juice glass carefully. He’s mere inches from knocking it off the table, but then again, Eric is all too reliant on his lightning fast reflexes.

“Well now that you mention it, I guess I have seen a little bit,” Eric muses, leaning back on his chair. The morning sunlight is bright as it reflects off of his glass, the hotel’s golden mark glistening under the light. The buffet crowd around them is loud enough to drown out their conversation, room chock full of other warlocks and spirits milling around, doing their own business. Tomorrow, the next exam will begin and everyone seems to be buzzing.

“But,” Eric interrupts, furrowing his brow together. "I thought Juyeon liked him, not the other way around?”

Chanhee frowns, suddenly confused. “Since when?” Chanhee asks, incredulous. Eric rolls his eyes, a cheshire smile on his lips as he pokes his eggs and stuffs them in his mouth.

“Since like, the start of the term? I mean, I overheard him talking to Kevin about a crush or something, and just assumed so? They spend a lot of time together, after all,” Eric points out. Chanhee nods, humming in consideration as they finish up breakfast in a different conversation.

Chanhee hunts down Kevin before he could leave his hotel room again, this time out with Changmin and Juyeon on some art geek journey. Kevin squeaks again, practically flinging himself back through his hotel door as Chanhee slams his hands against the wall, mere inches away from Kevin’s face as he glares.

“‘Fess up,” Chanhee starts. "What’s with Juyeon and Jaehyun lately? He talks to you all the time, so surely you must know something.”

Kevin squeaks again, curling into himself. It’s hilarious, Chanhee thinks, how easily cornerable Kevin Moon is. On the shorter half of the group, he’s easy to tower over and intimidated into blabbering whatever Chanhee needs. It’s a little mean, Chanhee supposes, but they’re pressed on time. He has a bet to win, and no way in hell is he losing to Younghoon.

“I-I don’t know what you mean,” Kevin squeaks although Chanhee can see otherwise in his irises. Chanhee scowls.

“Lee Juyeon. Lee Jaehyun. Crushes. What do you know?” Chanhee hisses. Kevin blinks, slowly shaking less as he widens his eyes.

“Oh that! Geez, Hee, just ask me like a normal person next time,” Kevin grumbles, straightening as he pushes Chanhee off, a scowl on his face. Chanhee sighs, blowing his fringe out of his eyes as he crosses his arms.

“Fine. Does Juyeon have a crush on Jaehyun?” Chanhee asks. Kevin snorts, running his hand through his hair as he grabs his phone to head out, throwing Chanhee a mysterious grin.

“Hell yeah.”

“Where’s Younghoon?” Changmin asks, breaking the silence. They’re walking through the hallway between the prep rooms and the arena, silent anxiety running through them. The final exam was about to begin and they didn’t even know what the exam was about. The instructions were as brief as they get, a two line message with little information.

‘Get to the arena. Find the thing most important to you all.’

Absolutely informative, really.

“Isn’t he on the stands? With Sangyeon?” Kevin points out, eyebrows knitted together in confusion as they enter the sunlight. Changmin frowns.

“He said he had to come into the test for today. Didn’t know anything else, though,” Changmin explains, Chanhee humming in affirmation to echo his sentiment. In front of him, Jaehyun turns around, cocking his head.

“Well that’s—”

“Welcome, one and all, to the final round of your end of year exams!” a loud voice rings over the arena, way too enthusiastic. It’s the same announcer from the Sports Festival, Changmin realizes.

“Now, I’m sure you’re all very confused right now, but the exam is very simple,” the announcer drawls, a wicked smile on her face as she clicks a button. Suddenly, thick vines shoot up around Changmin, separating him from the rest of his teams before he can react. Changmin jumps into action, trying to run towards the nearest member and ultimately failing as the vines are jumping up too fast. He pulls out his spear, trying to stab his way through to no avail. Instead, a pulse of magic shocks through him, drawing a strangled cry from Changmin’s throat.

“Minnie!” Chanhee cries, the only person to have made it into the same area with him. Changmin groans, trying to steady himself as he turns back to the announcer, now projected on a screen floating over his head.

“Escape the maze,” the announcer exclaims, a sadistic smile on her face. "And watch out for the traps we’ve placed along your way. Perhaps it’d be useful to keep our hint from earlier in mind.”

Changmin blinks, watching in confusion as the screen flies away at light speed, disappearing as fast as it had appeared. He turns to Chanhee, biting his bottom lip.

“Well… what now?” Changmin asks. Chanhee’s brow is furrowed, a finger over his lips as he seems to be deep in thought.

“Younghoon wasn’t with us,” Chanhee mutters. Changmin frowns, tilting his head.

“Yeah…” Changmin confirms.

“He’s supposed to be involved in the test though, right?” Chanhee points out. "That’s what he said.”

Changmin frowns, still confused. “What do you mean?”

Chanhee sighs, a wide smile on his face as his eyes twinkle. He seems to be talking to Jaehyun telepathically, if the way his expression keeps on changing is any indication.

“You found something out,” Changmin notes, still confused as Chanhee turns to him with a wide grin.

“The hint, Minnie! The thing most important to any warlock team is their Anchor! Younghoon’s here, but not in the way we think!” Chanhee exclaims, grabbing Changmin’s wrist as they break into a run. Changmin’s eyes widened.

“But how the hell are we going to find him?!” Changmin exclaims. "This place is huge!”

Chanhee just smiles. “What’s the role of an anchor, first and foremost?” Chanhee asks. Changmin nods, suddenly realizing what he means.

“They hide and watch. Provide advice later on, but mostly hide,” Changmin mutters, letting his gaze turn to the central tower from last round’s exam. High over top of the maze, it provides easy vision over the entire arena. But if there’s one thing Changmin knows about these kinds of exams, it’s that there’s always an obvious and wrong answer. Younghoon wouldn’t be up there, it’s too simple. Changmin glances around, trying to find the other arenas. The city would be too crowded, enclosed spaces and streets just made for the students to fight. The ice and tropical zone echo the same sentiment, again too obvious for the answer.

Before Changmin can land on the answer, a laugh echoes in his mind.

_ Race you two to the canyon? _ Juyeon echoes in his brain. Changmin grins. A high enough perch yet full of nooks and crannies to duck in? The answer seemed obvious.

_ Oh, you’re  _ on _. _

“Watch out!” Jaehyun yells, the warning ringing in Juyeon’s ears as he jumps, backflipping over a rotating blade that had erupted out from the maze’s walls. He throws a knife into the gear that operated the trap, jamming the mechanism as he lands a few feet behind the blade, teeth gritted.

“Dead end,” Juyeon mutters. Jaehyun sighs, squinting as he backs onto the side of the maze, peering around the corner to see a dead end.

“I wish we could just boost up and over,” Jaehyun mutters, starting to turn around. Juyeon grimaces, echoing the sentiment. The most they’ve figured out is that their section of the maze is in the ice section, so their best bet is simply to head ‘left’, towards the canyon. Problem is, the maze is as maze-y as it gets, lined with elaborate traps and armed with a plethora of Shadows to have to fight through. Jaehyun seems to be the only with any sense of direction between the two of them, trying to trace their possible paths in the ice, but the readings are unclear.

“I wish we had Cobbie here right now,” Juyeon laments, turning the corner to hear a monstrous growl. He stops in his tracks, throwing Jaehyun a glance. Jaehyun peeks ever so slightly, eyes widening before he ducks back in.

“Good news, I found the entrance to the canyon,” Jaehyun mutters. Juyeon groans, slumping against the maze walls.

“And the bad news?” Juyeon whispers back, dreading the answer. Jaehyun grimaces.

“There’s a giant boar in the way.”

Juyeon sighs, unsheathing his longer daggers as he tosses a glance around the corner.

“Any ideas?” Juyeon tosses out. Jaehyun bites his bottom lip, his thinking face taking over. Juyeon has seen the sight probably a million times, yet there’s something absolutely amazing about the way Jaehyun can instantly find some amazing solution to whatever problem they face. He’s a leader, through and through, mere presence reassuring to the team. If Sangyeon was their official leader and mentor, Jaehyun would be the one to lead a pack of clueless kids through whatever challenges thrown at them.

“Is it a she?” Jaehyun suddenly asks, throwing Juyeon for a loop.

“Excuse me?” Juyeon asks, incredulous. Jaehyun rolls his eyes.

“Just check it,” Jaehyun hisses. Juyeon complies, still confused as he peeks out. The boar is a Shadow, predictably, large and monstrous. Juyeon tries to recall his Shadow Biology lessons. The easiest way to check for gender is always genitals, and Juyeon can only bury his queasiness in feigned courage as he teleports to the side of the labyrinth the boar wasn’t facing. Almost immediately, he gets his answer, teleporting back to Jaehyun’s spot with nausea in his stomach.

“Definitely a girl,” Juyeon announces, trying not to feel sick. Jaehyun grins.

“Perfect. Now we know why she’s mad,” Jaehyun reasons, starting to scan the maze.

“I saw an empty nest? I think that’s how they got her here in the first place,” Juyeon reasons, glancing around the area. Jaehyun nods.

“Definitely. I don’t think they left the kids in the arena though. To make sure she stays mad,” Jaehyun mutters under his breath. He starts shaping something with his ice, resembling a large horn made of ice. Juyeon frowns.

“What are you doing?” Juyeon asks. Jaehyun shoots him a cheeky grin.

“I need you to, ah, provoke her a little,” Jaehyun drawls, trying to school his expression while Juyeon’s own morphs into mild fear. "I’ll try to mimic a combat roar.”

Juyeon just narrows his eyes at him. “This sounds like a bad idea,” Juyeon mutters. Jaehyun shrugs.

“Just trust me.”

Juyeon does, albeit somewhat reluctantly. He spends the next few minutes trying not to be skewered by the boar’s tusks and roasted alive, always teleporting a little out of range. The boar’s battle cry comes almost immediately, saving Juyeon from certain death. Jaehyun’s makeshift horn serves its purpose, drawing the boar’s attention away for a moment while Juyeon teleports towards the entrance to the canyon zone. The boar charges at Jaehyun’s position, crashing into a piece of his ice wall before he leaps over her, running towards Juyeon. The boar retaliates, breathing a blast of fire mere inches in front of Jaehyun and locking him in battle. Juyeon gapes the situation.

This is bad.

Jaehyun shoots him a determined glare to go, but Juyeon ignores him. Exams be damned, he’s not letting Jaehyun become boar lunch today.

Juyeon throws two of his daggers into the walls, linked together by some chains as a makeshift tripwire. He then holds his middle finger and thumb together and puts it to his mouth, letting out a shrill dog whistle to grab the boar’s attention. The boar turns to him, still enraged and charges. The trap works perfectly, tripping the boar as she falls forwards, blocking off the entire entrance to the canyon zone while Jaehyun slides over top of her on his ice. 

Their moment of victory is short, allowing for only a moment of rest before the boar bellows another giant blast of fire. Juyeon grabs Jaehyun’s wrist and teleports him a few feet away, barely out of range. He grits his teeth.

“We need to put her out, or this is never going to end,” Juyeon mutters, glancing around their new zone. Last round, he and Hyunjoon had taken advantage of the windy tunnels in the canyon for speed and traps, but other than those, the zone offered nothing to help.

Suddenly, an idea struck.

“Blow your horn again? Lure her over,” Juyeon calls, watching as Jaehyun’s nods. He doesn’t seem to understand, but Juyeon is grateful for the trust.

“You got it,” Jaehyun mutters, tooting the horn loudly as the boar’s eyes flare up wildly. She lumbers to her feet before charging at top speed towards Jaehyun and Juyeon. Juyeon grits his teeth, biding his time as he watches the boar charge towards him. Jaehyun runs out of the way, staring at Juyeon like he’s crazy. He probably is.

The boar makes contact with him mere seconds later, Juyeon bracing himself as he grips the boar’s tusks, channelling every last ounce of his magic and he teleports them both into the wind tunnels, redirecting the boar’s momentum as he ducks out of the way, letting her get swept away by the current. The winds are no help to him, nearly throwing Juyeon towards the boar like a ragdoll before a rope tightens around his waist, holding Juyeon in place. Juyeon’s eyes widen as he turns to the source, only to find Kevin grinning at him.

“Now  _ that _ is some wild shit, dude!” Kevin shouts, drawing laughter from Juyeon. He reels him in, setting Juyeon on top of the canyons. His other teammates pop up too, all lumbering out from the ice zone archway of the maze. Juyeon grins.

“Great to see we all made it, then,” Juyeon sighs, relieved. Kevin punches his arm lightly.

“Thanks to you and Jae. Now come on, Cobbie found Younghoon’s location already, and we don’t have time to waste.”

They find the anchors in the middle of the canyon, encased in a giant piece of orange rock Juyeon can only describe as blinding under the sunlight. He hisses at the light, ducking behind a piece of the canyon walls.

“There’s like a hundred of them in this giant orange rock. I can’t see Younghoon,” Juyeon relays to the rest of the team. Thundering footsteps echo around him, confirming Juyeon’s suspicion that they’re not the only team to have made it this far.

“We can’t search the whole place, it’d take too long,” Chanhee pipes up from the back. Juyeon nods, echoing his sentiment before turning to Jaehyun.

“We’ll just have to search for him,” Jaehyun mutters. "Everyone take a section. We don’t have much time.”

Juyeon volunteers to take the top-most side of the amber rock as the teleporting one, keeping himself at arm’s distance away from the practically rock. Kevin tells him it’s amber, extremely good at keeping heat in and warns them all not to touch it. Who knows how long it’s been practically boiling under the simulated sunlight for.

Before Juyeon can even cover half of his ground, a flying ball of energy whizzes past his face, mere inches from hitting him as Juyeon flinches. He turns to the source of the fireball, finding out that three other teams have arrived. Sure, if it was just any team he’d be able to hold them off and still fight.

The problem lies in a certain badge over one of the team’s uniforms.

He grits his teeth and shoots his teammates with a worried glance. They don’t get a moment to formulate a plan, thrown into the fight almost immediately. This time, Juyeon wonders what happens to those eliminated.

“Juyeon!” Chanhee’s voice breaks through the fight like a beacon, snapping Juyeon to attention as he whirls to him. Chanhee’s pointing at the rock, teeth gritted as he fends off two simultaneously. Juyeon turns around, knocking one of the warlocks he’s fighting out on the hilt of his blade before teleporting to Chanhee’s gestured area.

He gapes when he sees Younghoon, trapped in the amber like a fossil. Juyeon grits his teeth, wondering how in hell he’s going to break Younghoon out when the amber shatters in another place. Juyeon whips his head over to find out another group had broken past the rock, pulling out their anchor. With a start, Juyeon recognizes her. Kim Yerim from Red Velvet, the one Younghoon faced in the tournament.

“Give them hell, TBZ!” Yerim yells, casting the Prestige kids a disgusted look before activating some kind of machinery in her hands, warping her and her teammates out of the arena. Juyeon sends her a smile before she vanishes.

Before Juyeon can return to his dilemma, a chill runs down his spine. He teleports away in time for the incoming blade to miss him, a guy wearing a Prestige mark peeking in the corner of Juyeon’s vision. He swings upwards again, nearly slicing Juyeon in half only for Juyeon to narrowly parry the strike with his dagger.

He tries to strike back, only for a sudden blast of energy to separate them, the sheer impact sending Juyeon flying to the ground. The wind is knocked out of Juyeon’s lungs, taking too much time for him to restabilize before he lands. The hard rock he was expecting is replaced with a sturdy pair of arms instead, somehow absorbing the shock as Juyeon gasps for breath. He peeks his eyes open, finding tousled brown hair and a face of an angel. Something clicks inside of him, chest suddenly constricting for no apparent reason.

“Hi,” Juyeon mutters, meeting his savior’s eyes. Jaehyun rolls his eyes, dropping Juyeon to the ground. Juyeon teleports, righting himself on the canyon floor before shooting Jaehyun a pout.

“Rude,” he mutters. Jaehyun just chuckles, glancing up at where Juyeon was hovering over before.

“Found him?” Jaehyun asks. Juyeon nods, eyeing the teams practically mauling the rock.

“How’d Red Velvet get their girl out… This thing is unbreakable,” Juyeon mutters, knocking on the amber. Jaehyun smiles.

“Well, maybe not unbreakable…” he mutters, before breaking into a run away from the amber. Juyeon sends him a confused look, scrambling to follow Jaehyun. They arrive at the wind tunnels, still roaring and ridiculously loud. Juyeon pants staring at Jaehyun in confusion.

“What are you doing?!” Juyeon yells. Jaehyun smirks, pointing at a figure in the distance, a familiar hunk of fur approaching them. Juyeon widens his eyes.

“You’re insane,” Juyeon mutters, a wide grin on his face. Jaehyun pushes his ice across the canyon, creating a sort of mini-blockage that would only last for a minute. Juyeon teleports onto it, bracing himself as he watches the giant boar from before fly towards him. Juyeon glances towards the amber rock again, where the rest of his teammates are fending off the other teams while trying to hack into Younghoon’s spot. Juyeon grits his teeth, shifting his attention back to the boar.

She collides with him like a truck, barely allowing Juyeon enough time to grab a hold and teleport her and her momentum towards the amber rock. She collides with Younghoon’s spot, shattering the rock at precisely the right place. Juyeon lands next to Jaehyun, breath ragged as he grins. Younghoon jumps right out of his skin when he sees the boar, jamming his teleporting machine as TBZ warps out of the arena, a second before he gets roasted by the fire. The last thing Juyeon sees is a wide grin on both his and Jaehyun’s face, the realization of their success finally hitting as the world warps away. Something else hits Juyeon at that moment, a click finally loud enough for him to hear.

He supposes it’s a little inevitable, the way his stomach twists from more than just relief at that moment. Jaehyun is perhaps the textbook definition of a heartthrob: reliable, attractive and smart. It would probably be faster for Juyeon to list all the great qualities Jaehyun  _ isn’t _ , but he digresses.

At this moment, all he can do is gape and finally acknowledge the twist that maybe has been a little too tight for too long, the click in his head like a sledgehammer breaking through the walls of his own obliviousness.

If Juyeon really thinks about it, maybe he had always been a little in love with Lee Jaehyun.

“Why are you dragging me out here?” Jaehyun asks, confused. Eric turns around, shooting him a mysterious smile as he drags him onto the pool deck.

“I am interfering, because I honestly can’t take your pining anymore,” Eric mutters, turning Jaehyun around as he points to the roof of the house. Jaehyun narrows his eyes in confusion as he takes in the sight. Kevin and Chanhee are holding up a large and ridiculously bright sign with the phrase  _ ‘You melt my world’ _ written with bright silver sequins. All of a sudden, Jaehyun’s face turns bright red in mild embarrassment.

Juyeon is standing on the roof, hands cupped together as he shoots Jaehyun a wide grin.

“I like you!” Juyeon yells and Jaehyun finally gets what’s going on. The sign behind him drops, revealing yet another impossibly bright sign.

_ Let me melt yours too? _

Jaehyun doesn’t let Juyeon continue, boosting himself up with his ice as he grabs the front of Juyeon’s shirt and pulls him in, smashing their lips together. Juyeon makes a sort of strangled noise in the back of his throat, squeaking before melting back into the kiss.

“I had a whole speech prepared,” Juyeon pouts, resembling a kitten who just lost its favourite ball of yarn. Jaehyun tries not to show how much his heart squeezes at the sight.

“And you’ll have the rest of your life to tell me it,” Jaehyun whispers, pressing another quick peck on Juyeon’s lips as their friends cheer, the cold February air of the night absolutely miniscule compared to the warmth that blossoms in his chest, warm and overwhelming.

Normally, this would be where Jaehyun’s story ends. A happy ending in every way, from the Special Ops stamp on his school uniform to the beautiful boy in his arms. It’s a blissful ending, really, a perfect one to end off this mess of a year Jaehyun’s had. He dares to believe this ending will last, that he’ll be able to live the rest of life in relative peace and happiness.

Of course, Jaehyun’s life doesn’t do ‘happy ending’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!


	21. ...Or Not?

Changmin’s breath hitches, a gasp stuck in his throat as he hurriedly extends his magic, covering himself in a cloak as a guard rounds the corner, a scowl on his face. The hallways are dark and musty, impairing vision and limiting movement. Changmin partly shifts into an owl, calling on his night vision to try and find a way out of his section of the hallway. The guard is nearing him now, too alert for the cloak to work properly in a certain distance.

_ Juyeon, help me out here, _ Changmin mutters telepathically. They can’t rely on audible commands for this mission, the entire base too quiet for that. The guard is starting to enter vision range now, shining his flashlight throughout the room.

_ There’s a vent over top of you,  _ Juyeon replies, calming Changmin’s nerves as Changmin thanks him mentally. Changmin boosts himself up, grabbing on the metal vent as he pops it up, technique perfected from months of training so he wouldn’t make a sound. Changmin shifts mid-air, turning into an owl as he grabs the vent mere milliseconds before it falls back into place, slipping through quietly. He glances downwards, relief humming in his veins as the guard passes by quietly. Changmin gently sets the vent back in place with nothing but a soft click, inaudible to the human ear. He stays in owl form, scanning the wind vent.

_ Forwards. Take the third left, _ Juyeon supplies, spurring Changmin into action. Changmin flies to his instructions, stopping abruptly when he feels a strong gust of wind in his destination. Changmin coos mentally, annoyed.

_ Dead end _ , Changmin mumbles, Juyeon hums a negative.

_ It’s the only way in. I can’t disable it, _ Juyeon counters, an annoyed lick to his tone. Changmin hardens his gaze. He can’t just jam the fan. He’d alert the entire place. Changmin glances at the side of the fan, noticing the smallest little gap between it and one side of the vent. An idea strikes in his head.

Changmin dives at the vent, summoning his spear out in miniature form as he jabs at the gap, wincing when a loud groan echoes in the vent. The fan’s loud enough to drown out the sound, but Changmin has to be careful. He pries the fan off, pushing it wide open like a door before shifting himself into a smaller owl, barely squeezing through the gap.

_ Good job. Just insert the bug into the system and get out, _ Juyeon instructs. Changmin nods, opening the vent under him silently before slipping through, shifting into human form as he lands. Changmin reaches into his pocket and finds the little drive stick for their infiltration, slotting it into the server machine. A soft click echoes through the room, too loud for Changmin’s liking.

He curses silently, jumping back through the vent as footsteps echo in the distance. Changmin extends his magic down, creating the illusion of a flashing light, now lit up when it hadn’t before. He bites his lips nervously as two guards walk over, shining their flashlight at the server machine.

“Was this one on before?” one of them asks, tapping at Changmin’s illusion. The other guard shrugs.

“Heck if I know. Probably just the machine running something,” he replies. The first guard seems to accept his answer, turning around to walk away. Changmin lets out a silent sigh of relief, squeezing past the fan again as he pulls out his spear, gently setting the fan back in place as he makes his escape.

_ What’d you find? _ Changmin asks mentally, suddenly noticing Juyeon’s silence.

_ Something bad. Something very, very bad. _

**SEOUL RECORDS AN ALL TIME HIGH RECORD FOR DEHUMANIZED SPIRIT ATTACKS; EXPLANATION FOR UNUSUALLY LOW SPIRIT ACTIVITY LEAKED**

By: Kim Chaewon (Warlock Digest)

SEOUL — With the recent attack on Ba Sing Se tower, spirit researchers have doubled their efforts on tracking spirit activity around the city. During this week alone, the city has recorded  _ 17 _ new cases of dehumanized spirits going on rampage around the city. Ranging from smaller cases put out by patrol teams managing to catch them fast to the haemokinetic attack on Ba Sing Se tower, killing 24 people and leaving 30 injured, including the city's top patrol team Weki Meki. The city has imposed a curfew of 8 PM to 6 AM to protect residents from these attacks, spending night hours scouring the city for the cause of the attacks.

This event isn’t exclusive to Seoul, however, as other cities around the world have started to record the same problem. Tokyo recently went on lockdown when a dragon spirit started to raze the entire city down. Los Angeles lost two of their patrol teams to a wild water spirit, flooding half of the city in the fight. The entire world is in upheaval, it seems, and the Spirit World offers no answer.

Attempts made to contact the Spirit World offers nothing but static and one singular message, left at the sight of every dehumanized spirit attack. Written in blood, the phrase ‘We are coming’ seems to be the only thing on anyone’s mind these days. Almost all free spirits in the human world have been forcefully returned to the Spirit World, leaving no explanations. Even a few contracted spirits have left, bond apparently not strong enough to root them to the human world. Some say the Spirit World is moving away from the human world, but a recent leak broadcasted a secret email from an unknown organization confirmed otherwise.

According to the leak, an organization by the name of ‘Wings’ is planning a full-scale invasion of the spirit world, aiming to take over the world. It is reasonable to assume the spirits have been recalled to defend their home. The government has tried to intervene, but no one even knows who ‘Wings’ is, let alone where they are. The original leaker wishes to stay anonymous, only wishing to be called ‘Night Owl’. Night Owl refused to share their method for finding this information, but they did offer something other than the leak: a call for help to any and all warlock teams who wish to aid the spirits. If they want to help, their spirit guides simply need to bring them to ‘the Sanctuary’.

The South Korean government has tried to stifle this announcement and ban its national teams, but I’d like to take this moment to remind our readers that Warlock Digest is not affiliated with any government, a privately funded news journal by the Kwon family. We’ve found nothing related to this mysterious ‘Sanctuary’ Night Owl is referring to, but one can only hope they can prevent the incoming invasion. It seems Night Owl and their team may be alone, unless a miracle happens.

We wish them and you, the readers, the best. Spirits have been our friends and allies for generations, and it’s time we come to their aid.

“It worked,” Eric whispers under his breath, incredulous as he stares at their small assembly of warlock teams from all over the country. Sangyeon’s sanctuary is set to the oriental garden for tonight, his largest arena barely holding enough space for fourteen teams. Everyone is mingling in the arena, exchanging hushed conversation as the stiff atmosphere offers no release for tension. Eric glances to his teammates, all equally tense as they whisper to one another. Chanhee and Changmin are trying to instill a bit of confidence into Younghoon, who’s doing the announcement instead of Sangyeon, who has to sustain the meeting.

“Of course it did. The government is shit at this and we all need to intervene,” Sunwoo mutters, a scowl on his face. He’s sitting against the stands surrounding the arena, back faced to the scene. Eric rolls his eyes.

“You’ve never been this anti-government before,” Eric notes, watching as Sunwoo’s expression shifts into only mild distaste, in contrast to his earlier silent boil of anger.

“I mean, Wings must be the doing of the upper government anyway. You heard the plans. Invade the spirit world. Lines up with a certain someone’s thoughts, doesn’t it?” Sunwoo drawls, eyeing Eric carefully, Eric fiddles with his fingers, mouth set in a hard line as he stares into the air blankly. Memories of  _ that _ night come trickling back, somehow a little less harsh now that he’s had to tell what  _ she _ said a million times. Jaehyun had been the only one to understand then, apparently knowing little bits of what their family was really like before. He doesn’t even flinch when Eric tells him what Hyunjoon and Sunwoo did, only grimacing slightly.

Before Eric can respond, a loud cough rings through the arena, snapping everyone to attention. Younghoon is standing over the crowd on the announcer box, fists clenched as he sucks in a breath.

“I’m sure you all know why we’re here today, so I’ll skip the formalities,” Younghoon begins, trying to appear confident. Eric feels pride blooming in his chest at the sight. According to Jaehyun, Changmin and Chanhee, old Younghoon is basically the Human incarnation of stage fright, absolutely despising attention. Now, he’s about to tell more than a hundred people how they’re going to fight back a war.

“In two day’s time, Wings will be launching their attack on the Spirit World. Due to the nature of the Spirit World’s portal at the moment, once we get in, we can’t come out until we’ve settled the situation. The government is banning this mission, so we must move on Friday night. It’ll give us the most time before suspicion arises. Say goodbye to your loved ones now, because there’s no guarantee for safety there. We’re not in a simple tournament anymore. Wings will  _ not _ hesitate to kill.”

A quiet ripple of unrest spread through the crowd, but no one seems to be surprised. Eric bites his bottom lip. They don’t know what happened, Eric reminds himself. They don’t know there’s a murderer in their presence today.

Younghoon inhales. “That being said, we can’t stoop to their level. We’ve all sworn by the Warlock Code, and try your very best not to break it, okay? As for the plan, this is how we’ll divide up our defence…”

Eric tunes him out once Younghoon starts assigning regions, sighing as he drops to the ground, clutching his head and resting his head on the wall. Sunwoo rubs a soothing circle into Eric’s back, muttering inaudible words.

“It’s really happening, isn’t it?” Eric whispers, voice small as he thinks of all the faces he just saw in the crowd. Who knows how many will make it through? Will any of them make it?

“If I don’t make it,” Eric chokes out, feeling tears pool in his eyes. Younghoon said it best. There’s no guarantee for safety. Before Eric can compose himself, Sunwoo presses a palm against his back, nuzzling into Eric’s collarbone as he presses a soft kiss onto Eric’s skin.

“I love you too,” Sunwoo mutters back. He doesn’t promise they’ll make it, because they both know that’s impossible to tell. Eric just sobs again, the reality of the situation settling in. He has a mission to complete, but there’s no telling if he’ll come back afterwards. What’s most terrifying about the situation isn’t that fact, but the other possibility. They could fail. It could all be for nothing.

And perhaps, that’s what hurts most.

“Something’s off,” Jacob mutters under his breath, watching the warlock teams head back home, meeting having ended. Next to him, Kevin turns to him, confused.

“What do you mean?” Kevin asks, frowning. Jacob shrugs.

“Wings know their plan has been leaked. Surely they’d be more careful now, right? I doubt this will be their only invasion,” Jacob points out, fiddling with his guitar pick. Kevin hums in agreement, straightening as he bites his bottom lip.

“We need to cut off their leaders if we want to stop any potential invasion then,” Kevin muses. "But would they show up to the invasion?”

Jacob grimaces, stomach twisting into a tight knot as he turns to Kevin. A silent answer passes between them as Kevin’s face falls too, realization washing over them.

“But then, where would they be? We don’t even know who the leaders are,” Kevin counters, biting his bottom lip. Jacob sighs, glancing across the arena to eye at a hunched over figure, sobbing into his arms while his boyfriend soothes him. Jacob bites on his lips.

“But we do know who one of them is…”

“Absolutely not,” Jaehyun snaps, shooting out of his chair as a snarl takes over his face. Sangyeon reaches out with his emotional magic, soothing Jaehyun’s nerves as he tries to calm him. He glances at the rest of the team, who are all varying degrees of shocked, from Jaehyun’s outburst of anger to Hyunjoon’s silent scowl. Only Kevin and Jacob seem to be calm, but Kevin seems queasy, to say the least.

“We need to do it, though. You can’t seriously be risking another invasion for one person,” Jacob argues, standing up too as he holds his gaze firm with Jaehyun’s. Something akin to anxiety churns in Sangyeon’s stomach at the sight. It’s a little unnerving, seeing the two pillars of their team standing face to face as tension boils between them.

“But we can’t be sure he’ll even fall for the trap!” Jaehyun exclaims, exasperated. "Dear ol’ dad ain’t gullible, even if he’s a psycho. We can’t just waltz in and say ‘oh sorry for earlier, I’ve seen the way, yada yada’. We ran away from him for two decades, in case you haven’t noticed!”

Jacob scowls, crossing his arms as he leans back. “Important distinction, you took Eric with you and ran. To him, Eric doesn’t know anything, right? He could slip past easily  _ and _ get us to wherever the other leaders are. We need to take the risk!” Jacob points out, voice coated with the thinnest layer of anger. Jaehyun fumes.

“I’m not letting you risk him like this. Aren’t you a support spirit? Trying to save lives as opposed to literally sending them into certain death?” Jaehyun snaps, taking a step closer to Jacob. Jacob, to his credit, doesn’t snap back, only holds his place.

“I am saving lives! It’s a matter of numbers, Jaehyun, nearly millions of spirits over one possibility! Or do spirits mean less to you because you humans are oh so superior?” Jacob retorts, voice calm yet impeccably venomous.

Sangyeon glances at the rest of the team again, finding most of them having taken a side at this point. He sighs, pushing his magic out and trapping both Jaehyun and Jacob in place before they can start yelling at each other again. He stands up, heart heavy as he sighs.

“We’ll do things how we’ve always done,” Sangyeon drawls, eyeing both Jacob and Jaehyun carefully. Younghoon jumps into action, seemingly relieved to have something to do as he snaps straight, clearing his throat.

“I’ll sit out for an odd number of votes,” Sangyeon supplies, sitting down as he gestures for Younghoon to start the vote.

“All in favour of Jacob’s plan, raise your hand,” Younghoon announces. Jacob’s hand flies up, of course. From across the room, Chanhee, Changmin, Hyunjoon and Haknyeon join in, much to Jaehyun’s dismay. Curiously, Kevin doesn’t have his raised, curling into himself as he tries to avoid Jacob’s betrayed gaze.

“And all in favour of the opposite?” Younghoon asks for confirmation. He himself raises his hand, along with Juyeon, Sunwoo, Jaehyun and Kevin. Eric, on the other hand, is nervously biting his nails, staring at a spot on the floor. Sangyeon frowns, reaching over to pat Eric’s hand gently.

“Eric?” Sangyeon prods, making Eric jump. "Your vote decides.”

Eric grimaces, conflict in his eyes. He looks up at Sunwoo, meeting his gaze as something akin to an apology weighs down his irises.

“I’ll do it,” he mutters, voice shaking as he stands up, fists clenched on his side. He holds his gaze with Jaehyun, who’s staring at him like he’s a madman.

“It’s suicide,” Jaehyun argues, only for Sangyeon to glare at him.

“No more arguments. The vote is fair. The majority wants him to carry through, so that’s what we’re doing,” Sangyeon announces, watching as the rest of the room begrudgingly agrees.

“Great. Now, get some rest. You all still have school tomorrow morning.”

“Good morning class,” Mr. Kim greets. Kevin snaps to attention, blinking as he mentally berates himself for not noticing Mr. Kim coming in. He’s been worrying himself stupid almost all night, barely getting a wink while Eric set up the appointment with his dad. Kevin had sat there with him, trying to be of some comfort while their floormates practically seemed to be at war with one another, refusing to acknowledge each other’s presence.

It’s odd to see Jacob so mad, refusing to even talk to Kevin. He had voted to save Eric because the kid didn’t seem like he could pull through, but Kevin supposes he did sacrifice an entire population for one person. There’s a sort of disconnect, Kevin supposes. He doesn’t know many spirits, apart from his teammates. None of the warlocks on the team do. A part of Kevin sours at the thought of it.

“Can anyone tell me what we normally create traps for?” Mr. Kim asks, picking up his chalk. Kevin raises his hands, trying to ignore the looming threat of this weekend’s events.

“Yes, Mr. Moon?” Mr. Kim calls, pointing his piece of chalk at Kevin.

“Traps are used to dispose of threats in a non-fatal way,” Kevin recites, having committed the definition to memory from last year. "Most are aimed to disarm, but there are some used for alarming instead.”

Mr. Kim nods. “Thank you, Mr. Moon. Traps mostly take physical forms, using the wonders of science and trickery to our advantage. However, we’ll be covering a different sort of trap today,” Mr. Kim lectures, writing on the board. Kevin stares at the phrase on the board, something shifting in his stomach as he eyes Mr. Kim in confusion.

“Deception & Persuasion,” Mr. Kim announces, underlining the word. Kevin sucks in a breath. Could Mr. Kim somehow… know of their plans? Or is this a general lesson?

Before Kevin can find the answer out for himself, Mr. Kim stares directly at him and gives a small smile, nodding ever so slightly. Kevin blinks in shock. He knows what they’re going to do on Friday.

“There are four elements to a persuasive piece; the  _ ethos, pathos, logos _ and  _ kairos _ ,” Mr. Kim begins, snapping Kevin to attention as he clicks his pen, ready to take notes. The lesson continues as normal, the first half covering the theoretical side of deception, from techniques to use while fooling someone to how to respond to intrusive questions. The final task was simple, a practical demonstration of fooling someone into revealing their information. Kevin had volunteered, alongside two other students.

One would receive some kind of info he had to relay to a trusted confidant, while one other student was trying to steal the information. The process was simple, just having a five-minute conversation for the student with the information to find out who is his trusted confidant, info potentially useful to save a whole city from destruction—or destroy it. Kevin pulls out his slip of paper, sighing internally when he reads his role. ‘The Interceptor’. This is gonna be great.

“First of all, I’d like to start by saying that I have your best interests at heart and I just want to relay this crucial piece of information to protect you,” Kevin’s rival in this scenario starts, a girl named Seoyeon. She’s a Spy class, Kevin notes. Traps 202 is an open class, sure, but mostly Support and Spy class warlocks actually took it.

“But how can I confirm that? For all I know, your interest could contradict mine and you’d send the information to the enemy,” their target in this scenario counters, frowning. His name was Dongpyo, If Kevin remembered correctly. They were both Support classes, but Kevin has never really talked with Dongpyo outside of class.

“You just have to tell me what kind of information you’re transferring,” Seoyeon presses with a smile on her face as she applies technique number one: the foot in the door technique. Have someone agree to a smaller request before asking for a bigger one. Dongpyo’s frown deepens as he furrows his brow.

“How would knowing that information help you?” Dongpyo retorts, seemingly catching onto Seoyeon’s methods. Kevin takes the moment, jumping into the conversation.

“Knowing any kind of information is useful to the enemy,” Kevin proposes, a relaxed grin on his face. Smiles make people more receptive to persuasion and requests. Right now, Kevin needs to reframe Dongpyo’s mindset and make him more relaxed. Dongpyo’s tense shoulder seems to droop ever so slightly, leaning a little forwards. Kevin takes the victory.

“I, on the other hand, have no interest in the matter at all. I’m just a carrier pigeon. What happens with your piece of info is between you and the information’s final destination,” Kevin explains, gesturing his arms in a wide arc. He supposes he has a little bit of an advantage with this whole lying thing, having grown up his entire life in a world of deception and lies. For example, the best method to persuade is always to use only one question. Once you’ve asked something, the other person is less likely to agree with your next arguments.

In any case, Dongpyo seems to have loosened up, seemingly trusting Kevin as a person. Great, he’s scored the  _ ethos _ card, verifying his character.

“Dongpyo, look at me,” Seoyeon tries, pulling Dongpyo’s attention as she tries to straighten up and smile a little more comfortably.

“Your information can save thousands of lives. Millions, even,” Seoyeon proposes, settling for the impact in numbers. Shock Dongpyo into cooperation. Dongpyo seems hesitant, glancing between them uncertainly.

“That it can,” Kevin agrees, pulling Dongpyo’s attention back to him. "But feeding it to the wrong person could kill your friends and family. As someone who’s lost a family, I can understand why this could be so hard for you. Even the thought of having to deliver this info would stress the hell out of me,” Kevin sympathizes, trying to sound sincere.  _ Pathos _ rules one’s emotions, instructing how one feels about a situation. Striking empathy and emotions is always easier to persuade with.

“But it’s my job,” Dongpyo counters. "I won’t choose the wrong person.”

There’s a hint of sympathy in his eyes. Kevin supposes Dongpyo wouldn’t know how happy he is to finally escape that place.

“I know you won’t,” Kevin whispers, sending him an encouraging smile. Seoyeon seems to have caught on, probably realizing she needs to jump in.

“Think about this logically, Dongpyo. I can tell you for a fact that I am on your side because I know how much you need to save Seoul,” Seoyeon proposes, and Kevin knows he’s lost the  _ logos _ card. Specifications and logic is the enemy of emotion and empathy, and Dongpyo looks absolutely torn. Kevin knows he has to jump in now, or he’ll lose his last card too.

“Take your time to think about it, Dongpyo. Whenever you’re ready, just write it on here for me and I’ll carry the message,” Kevin interrupted, pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket. It’s his submission paper, to write down what Dongpyo decided to give later. He’ll skip the relay, giving Dongpyo the opportunity to write down the answer now.  _ Kairos _ can be the most powerful tool used correctly because everyone is terrified of time. The lack of it. The pace of it. The merciless urgency of it.

Kevin thinks of the looming deadline over his head that Friday. They need to convince Eric’s dad to reveal where the other leaders are—and fast.

“Time’s up,” Mr. Kim announces, giving Dongpyo another piece of paper to write his message to Seoyeon or Kevin. Dongpyo doesn’t hesitate, grabbing both pieces of paper and writing the answer down, handing them both back to Kevin and Seoyeon. Kevin unfurls his paper, lips curling in delight as he reads his message.

_ ‘We’ll be constructing a supply route under the city, leading into the old forest’  _ the message reads. Kevin doesn’t bother to transfer the message, handing it straight to Mr. Kim while Seoyeon copies hers over. Mr. Kim reads the messages with a secretive smile on his face, setting them onto the table as he starts to clap.

“Well done, Kevin Moon. I’ve never seen such excellent deception from a student before,” Mr. Kim announces as Seoyeon groans, dropping her face into her hands. Dongpyo’s eyes grow big as he realizes what has happened. He turns to Kevin, mouth agape while Kevin shoots him an apologetic smile.

That night, Kevin finds out more than just Wing’s leaders’ location.

“You’ll be fine on guard duty?” Chanhee asks, worry in his tone. Younghoon turns to him, a reassuring smile on his face as he pats Chanhee’s shoulder.

“I’ll be fine,” Younghoon says, although he sounds like he’s comforting himself more than Chanhee. Chanhee bites his bottom lip. They were about to enter the spirit world, split up into two groups. Half of TBZ will chase the lead Kevin’s found for them through some amazing persuasion, coming to some remote mansion on an island off the coast of Korea. Eric would be going there under the guise of watching the invasion from a safe distance while the others stowed away on his boat. They’ve opted out of sending any spirits, worried if the leaders would have any of that serum lying around to make them go crazy. That seems to be part of their plan too, from what Kevin found. Releasing dehumanized spirits to distract the general public and force the spirits to return to their world to hide. Then, come in and wipe out the whole world, Shadows and Spirits alike. Chanhee feels sick.

“We’ll be back before you know it,” Chanhee states firmly, echoing Younghoon’s attempt to comfort both of them at the same time. Changmin calls him to get ready for the warp back home. The spirit portal has effectively closed, only allowing for recalls from the Spirit King himself to try and prevent the invasion. Sangyeon was their loophole. His Sanctuary may be a customizable environment, but it still ultimately resides in the Spirit World itself, giving them easy access home. Younghoon is to guard Sangyeon between the portals to make sure their gateway in and out of the spirit world stays open in case of an emergency. He has a sword, courtesy of Hyunjoon, although Chanhee knows it’s nowhere near as good as an actual weapon. Anchors simply don’t fight as much, so most don’t own a weapon. Chanhee brings it up with Sangyeon, whose eyes light up as he realizes the problem. Hurriedly, he summons a blade, resembling a rapier as Chanhee’s eyes widen.

“Is that what I think it is?!” Chanhee exclaims, incredulous. He’s loud enough to draw the others’ attention, pulling them towards Sangyeon as they all gape at the blade. Only the spirits recognize it, the blade currently in rapier form. Midnight Steel, the hardest and sturdiest metal in all of the Spirit World makes up the blade, humming lightly with power from the magic-infused into it at the Fire Pit. If Chanhee peered close enough, he could even see small wisps of fire dancing on the metal, curling on the metal as the rubies on its handle glimmer under the November afternoon sunlight.

The blade is infamous to almost every spirit who’s heard of the Neverending War, once held by a nameless Spirit General who was the first to defeat the Shadow Barron that ruled over the Korean peninsula. Generations have lost the General’s name, but his stories are infamous—namely, the one where he wrestled the stolen blade from the Shadow Barron’s dead hands and led the Spirit and Warlock army back then to reclaim South Korea.

Now, that same blade lies on Sangyeon’s hand, offered to Younghoon. Next to him, Younghoon frowns.

“It’s just a sword, Chanhee,” Younghoon points out. Chanhee whips his head to Younghoon, mouth agape.

“What do you mean it’s ‘just a sword’?! Twilight Piercer is the sword prophesied to be the Shadow’s bane, purifying fire meant to cleanse the Spirit World of the Shadow’s influence when it’s held by its true master, the Hero of Worlds. Not even the great Spirit General was worthy of unlocking its true flames!” Chanhee rambles, turning to the rest of the room as Changmin, Jacob and Hyunjoon nod along with him. The rest simply hasn’t had the same kind of exposure to the Spirit world as they did, so the realization hits late. Chanhee turns to Sangyeon, still incredulous.

“How’d you get this?!” Chanhee asks, confused. Sangyeon just shrugs, a mysterious smile on his lips. He turns to Younghoon, muttering something under his breath before the sword hums with power, the black of the Midnight Steall turning into red, hot flames as Younghoon yelps, jumping away and nearly dropping the blade. Chanhee whips his head to Sangyeon, thoroughly confused.

“Through hard-won battle, Chanhee,” Sangyeon replies, drawing the line between the two dots as Chanhee’s eyes light up in realization. The reason why Younghoon was chosen despite Sangyeon being so late. The reason why Sangyeon is so hesitant about showing up to their battles in a loud way. The reason why trouble seems to find him like he was some main character in an action anime.

“Now,” Sangyeon begins, giving Younghoon an encouraging smile. "I hope you remember our sword fighting lessons, Hero of Worlds.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus, the final arc begins >:)


	22. Like Father, Unlike Son

Really, the plan was simple enough to not be screwed up, but when has Lady Luck ever been on their side?

“There’s too many of them,” Kevin mutters, pressing his back against the walls as he hurriedly dissipates his mirror. Next to him, Juyeon bites his bottom lip.

“We need to get there. The others can’t storm the place if we can’t disable the security system,” Juyeon hisses, face scrunched up in frustration. Kevin nods, glancing at his watch. They’ve got what, ten? Fifteen minutes? They can’t just charge into the security room either.

“Traps won’t work. We can’t alert them. You think you can make it to the security room in one teleport?” Kevin asks, pulling out his mirror again. Juyeon bites his bottom lip.

“I’d need a distraction,” Juyeon points out, magic gathering on his body to prepare for the transfer. Kevin nods, a grimace on his face.

“And sadly, I can do that.”

The plan worked  _ too _ well. Kevin has one EMP from Eric stowed under his belt, able to buy them twenty minutes of radio silence. He throws it into the midst of all the guards, decommissioning any and all electronics in a hundred meter radius as they start to yell and chase after him. Juyeon teleports to the security door, thick metal blocking out the EMP’s waves, giving Kevin a two-finger salute of luck as Kevin bolts away from the guards. He silently prays that Juyeon can make it through, darting through the confusing hallways of the castle-like mansion Wings operate in.

Kevin rounds a corner, only to spot another cohort of guards coming to stop him. He skids to a halt before turning to the other hallway. Someone shoots at him, shattering Kevin’s makeshift holographic wall and his breath hitches. Kevin chides himself. He can’t let his guard down just like that. The threat is real.

Kevin jumps onto a nearby wall, using his momentum to run up it as bullets echo in his ears, bouncing off of his holographic armour. Kevin summons a gun of his own, calling on all of his sharpshooting ability as he puts his pursuers out of commision, landing gently on the floor. A soft snore rings in the air as Kevin reloads more sleep darts into the gun. Footsteps and shouts ring out in the corridor, sending panic into Kevin as he turns and bolts again, gritting his teeth.

_ Hurry up, Juyeon, hurry up. _

Realistically, Juyeon should’ve known the security room wouldn’t just be guarded by low level mercenaries and magic-less guards.

Pain flares up Juyeon’s body as he slams into the wall, a sickening crack ringing in the air as Juyeon loses feeling in his left leg. Juyeon coughs, the metallic taste of blood on his tongue as Juyeon hoists himself up. His body is wracked with pain, red drowning his vision as Juyeon tries to blink the dark spots in his vision away.

“So you’re the warlock General Asshat said to watch out for, huh?” a masculine voice drawls, sick amusement to his tone. Juyeon coughs again, barely able to push himself up before a whip cracks along his side, sending Juyeon back to the ground as his skin burns. A strangled cry bubbles in his throat, spilling out in between the blood.

“You’re just a kid,” the voice hisses, leaning down and using the handle of his whip to poke at Juyeon’s head, pushing him onto his side as Juyeon tries to gasp for breath. His vision is muddled now, too much blood lost as he tries to make out a face. His attacker’s super-strength seemed to counter any means of speed Juyeon could achieve with his teleportation, landing in one solid hit and knocking Juyeon out almost immediately.

“Kids like you have no business with Wings. You’re probably still believing the spirits’ lies, aren’t you? How’d you even find this place?” the man growls, gripping Juyeon’s shirt as he pulls him up, slapping Juyeon square on the cheek. Juyeon chokes again.

“Unless… you’re here for Asshat’s kid, aren’t you? Your teammate, right?” the man drawls, a wicked smile on his lips as he drops Juyeon onto the ground. He straightens as Juyeon’s head slams against the hard floor, pain exploding in his head. He doesn’t even have enough consciousness to panic at this point, all too broken on the floor.

“He’s not on your side anymore, kid. Asshat was adamant about it. Great to see someone can understand what we’re trying to do,” the man smiles and relief sags through Juyeon. He doesn’t know. Kevin really was a genius at lying.

“You kids have no idea what the spirits are pulling over your eyes, huh? Integrating into society like that… They want to take over our world the moment we finish off the shadows for them. Murderers, the whole lot of them. No, we gotta invade them. Wipe them out before they can do more harm to our world,” the man growls, a hard look on his face. Juyeon wonders what his story is.

“Ah, why am I telling you this,” the man mutters, holding up his whip as it shifts into a javelin. "You’re gonna die anyway!”

The javelin leaves his hands, flying towards Juyeon as something expands before his very eyes. The javelin bounces off the holographic wall as it falls to the ground unceremoniously. Juyeon widens his eyes, trying to glance around the room when he spots Kevin at the door, panting and heaving with an extended hand.

“What the—“ the man growls, pulling another whip from his belt as he cracks it at Kevin, who quickly rolls out of the way before holding up a gun towards Juyeon. Juyeon’s eyes widen impossibly big, panic settling in. What was he—

“Sorry in advance, buddy!” Kevin shouts as he shoots, a dart lodging into Juyeon’s shoulder. For a moment, intense pain flares up Juyeon’s body, overwhelming and absolutely drowning as a scream dislodges from his throat. Juyeon blinks, expecting the taste of death when his vision clears, only for something else to replace the pain.

He has… energy?

Juyeon whips his head up, finding Kevin struggling to run away from the man’s whip. Juyeon grits his teeth, pushing himself up as he notes that his leg had miraculously mended. Juyeon pulls out his daggers, about to jump into the fray when his eyes land on the javelin, discarded on the floor.

An idea strikes and he runs to him, pulling out whip mode as he flings it towards the direction of the man’s whip, the two strings tangling with one another. The man’s eyes widen as he turns to Juyeon, snarling as magic envelops his form, activating his super strength. Juyeon flies into the air, hurtling towards the walls at a million miles an hour. Right before he hits the wall, Juyeon closes his eyes and teleports, dragging the whip along with him as he lands a few meters behind the man. He teleports again, pushing his magic to his limits as Juyeon makes round after round, circling the man.

At some point, the man catches on to what he’s trying to do, tensing up his arms to break out. In his moment of incapacitation, a dart flies from the side of the room, injecting into the man as he gasps, movements turned sluggish. His magic is less tense now, but Juyeon doubts even Kevin’s most potent sleep dart can keep him down for long. Juyeon makes his last loop, toppling the man over like a stack of dominoes before looking up at Kevin.

“Do it again!” Juyeon yells, watching as Kevin nods, loading two sleep darts into his gun as he fires them consecutively, injecting into the man’s thick neck. The man growls, but he’s too sluggish to even activate his magic now. Juyeon pulls out his dagger and runs to the man, pounding the hilt onto the man’s forehead, hard. Finally, the man seems to have passed out, head rolling forwards as he faceplants the floor. Juyeon heaves a heavy breath, watching as Kevin runs to the man, shifting his head to the side. Juyeon manages a chuckle.

“Seriously?” Juyeon asks. Kevin shrugs, a smile on his face as stuffs the man’s arm under his head to support his neck.

“Even villains don’t deserve to choke on their own puke and die, Juyeon,” Kevin retorts, straightening up as he walks to Juyeon. Juyeon rolls his eyes.

“What was that stuff earlier, by the way? It’s like magic,” Juyeon asks, gesturing at his leg. Kevin’s eyes light up as he realizes something.

“It’s an adrenaline boost, but it won’t last. You’ve probably just injured yourself further and it’s going to wear off in about—“

Juyeon cries, suddenly doubling over as his knees buckle.

“—now,” Kevin grimaces, rushing over to catch Juyeon before he falls to the ground. Juyeon coughs, suddenly remembering their mission as he swats Kevin away weakly.

“Go disable the system and then come back,” Juyeon croaks out, the metallic taste of blood on his tongue again. Kevin seems hesitant, already summoning an ensemble of equipment. Juyeon coughs again, gaze hardening.

“Go!” Juyeon repeats, sending Kevin away as he tries to peek at his own watch. One minute. They’re cutting it close. Kevin nods, rushing off as Juyeon sighs, trying to blink the dark spots out of his eyes.

They did it, but how will the others hold up?

“Alright, SKZ will take the gardens while Astro takes the top floor. Red Velvet, you girls take the beach and make sure no one escapes, got it? The rest of us can split up on the first and second floor,” Jaehyun explains, gesturing towards the various locations as the warlocks around him nod, all in agreement. They split up accordingly, Jaehyun and Sunwoo left to track Eric’s location on their phone. They don’t have long. The leaders will surely start to evacuate by now, and the police won’t believe them unless they can find concrete proof of their identities and crimes.

“I’ll go get Kev and Juyeon. Track him down but  _ do not _ engage, got it?” Jaehyun orders, shoving the tracking device into Sunwoo’s hands. Sunwoo, to his credit, doesn’t look like he’s a puddle of nerves. He’s a little more rigid, like a pole on anxiety instead as he shakily accepts the device. Jaehyun shoots him an encouraging smile, patting Sunwoo’s shoulder.

“He’ll be fine, you know? What’s the worst that can happen?” Jaehyun tries. Sunwoo just scowls.

“Last time Hyunjoon said that, Eric ended up in the hospital with amnesia,” Sunwoo deadpans and Jaehyun winces.

“Fair point,” he mutters, out of comforting words. Sunwoo seems to have caught on, waving him off with a feigned smile.

“I’ll make sure he’s fine. Just go get them. Juyeon doesn’t have much time, remember?” Sunwoo points out, pushing Jaehyun towards the direction of the security room. He runs away before Jaehyun can respond, but Jaehyun would have to be blind not to catch the hint of fear in his eyes. Jaehyun sighs, watching Sunwoo run off, wondering if this might be the last time Jaehyun ever sees him.

He decides not to dwell on it.

“Hang in there, Juyeon,” Jaehyun mutters under his breath, navigating the maze-like hallways of the mansion, eyes trained on the little red dot on his tracking device. He rounds a corner to hear a strangled cry, one that roots itself in Jaehyun’s stomach like thorns. Jaehyun’s eyes widen in panic as he follows the cry, pace a little quicker.

The door is ajar when Jaehyun arrives, bloody fingerprints and devoid of anyone inside. Jaehyun panics, stepping inside with a hammering heart. Where is he?

The door slams shut behind him.

“So my disappointment of a son has finally decided to show up,” a voice hisses, ringing out in the air as a chill drums down Jaehyun’s spine. He turns around to face the man who had made his childhood miserable and hardens his gaze.

“Father,” Jaehyun spits, venom in his voice as he narrows his eyes. "Where is he?”

Lee Donghyun says nothing, lips curling into a small frown as he unbuttons his sleeve. Jaehyun tenses up. He knows he can’t take him in a fight, but he has to try. Kevin would’ve found a way to get Juyeon away, right? They’re fine—

“You’ve always been a weak one, haven’t you? Hiding your step brother away from his true calling,” Donghyun snarls, unbuttoning his blazer as he takes it off, ready to fight. Jaehyun lets magic pools at his finger, anger flaring inside of him.

“Leave Eric out of this,” Jaehyun scowls, feeling anger swirl through him. Donghyun simply smiles wickedly. The same smile he always had before telling Jaehyun about his latest… projects. The same smile he had before threatening to beat Jaehyun into cooperation. The same smile when Jaehyun had to come back to the house with Eric in tow, no longer able to run without raising suspicion.

“Your worst flaw. You  _ care _ for others. There is no room for caring for the strong, Jaehyun. We can only have enemies. You,” Donghyun grunts, pointing an accusing finger at Jaehyun. "Even chose to love. Your brother realized the truth and came to us to be groomed into my heir. You, on the other hand, will never be half the man I am.”

Jaehyun snarls. Once upon a time, those words would’ve stung like a scalding burn. Once upon a time, those words were the motivation to learn to fight and work himself ragged.

Once upon a time, Jaehyun cared.

“On the contrary, I’m already twice the man you are,” Jaehyun hisses, carefully taking a step backwards. A spike of ice chills behind him, nearly impaling his foot as Donghyun’s fingers flick upwards. Jaehyun stops, growing wary.

“You chose to leave and join this weak society when I could’ve taught you to rule the world! You’re nothing but an ungrateful disappointment!” Donghyun yells, curling in his fingers as ice spikes shoot up through the floor. Jaehyun throws his own back, intercepting the ice and keeping them at bay for a few moments.

“I don’t want to rule the world!” Jaehyun yells back, jumping out of the way of an ice spike as he boosts himself out of range of a pellet of icicles. Jaehyun tries to attack, waving his arm in a wide arc as an ice block advances towards Donghyun. However, Donghyun simply raises his hands as the block approaches and shatters it.

“You waste my gift to you for  _ protection _ ?! You don’t deserve to even carry my name!” Donghyun growls, jumping towards Jaehyun with blinding speed as he pulls out his sword, a traditional broadsword as he swings at Jaehyun. Jaehyun sucks in a breath, summoning all of the magic at his fingertips and exhales, freezing the sword mere moments before the contact before flipping backwards, out of the way of Donghyun’s ice spikes. Jaehyun lands on a nearby outcropping of ice, barely given a moment to breathe before more icicles fly at him.

Jaehyun jumps into action, sprinting from pillar to pillar to avoid the attacks, pooling magic at his fingertips again.

“I never needed nor wanted your help! You were nothing but a heartless monster!” Jaehyun hurls, pumping his palm in the air as a fist of ice rises from the ground, grabbing Donghyun and nearly forcing him down when another hand of ice rises from the ground and smashes Jaehyun’s to pieces. The ricochet wracks through Jaehyun’s left arm, pain blooming through his nerves as Jaehyun sidesteps the icy fist. He pulls out Scorpion, his blade, and cuts the fist into two before shifting it into a sniper, firing three shots at Donghyun’s thighs. One of them lands, drawing a snarl from dear ol’ dad.

Jaehyun has to run again, having angered the beast.

“You are foolish to assume I had you for anything but an heir! But no matter, your brother will suffice. Maybe I should just kill you now like I killed that foolish boy who made you soft!” Donghyun thunders, striking an ice spike in Jaehyun’s direction. Jaehyun’s slow this time, unable to dodge as the spike drives him into the wall. The impact stings, wracking Jaehyun’s entire body with pain as horror settles in. Juyeon didn’t make it?

“Still soft, even now, huh?” Donghyun gnarls, stepping closer to Jaehyun. His words don’t register over the hammering in Jaehyun’s chest, loud and overwhelming. His brain unravels like a thread as everything comes crashing down like a glacier melting. The little campfire Jaehyun had allowed in becomes a wildfire now, keeping him down like a chokehold and Jaehyun can’t think of anything but Juyeon. He tries to think of his smile again, tries to recall the way Juyeon held onto him with a feline touch, comforting and adorable. He tries to think of Juyeon’s satisfied grin again, pulling Jaehyun into the celebratory group hug as he tells Jaehyun that it’s okay to celebrate. It’s okay to revel in other’s presence because that’s what everyone needs. You can only make it so far alone, after all.

Jaehyun squeezes his eyes shut, refusing to let the empty feeling in his stomach spread further. He can’t fail the mission. Juyeon deserves better.

He balls up his fist as he slumps over, pretending to admit defeat as he opens his eyes, keeping them downcast but trained on a reflective piece of ice. Donghyun smirks, sword raised as he moves in for the swing. As soon as the blade comes down, Jaehyun clenches his fist, releasing all of the pent up anger and frustration holding onto him for all of his life, concentrated into a single spire of ice as he punches it through Donghyun’s guts.

Jaehyun roars, blood storming in his ears as Jaehyun bursts out of the icy grasp. He jumps into action, throwing ice chunks after icicles at Donghyun as the other struggles to deflect them. Jaehyun knows the surprise won’t last long, exuding all of his magic as he practically level the ground, pulling Donghyun into its icy grasp as he pulls out his sword, charging at Donghyun and stopping mere moments before the tip came into contact with Donghyun’s chest.

He stops.

Jaehyun blinks, mind in conflict with itself. Why won’t he bring it down? Why is he hesitating?

Donghyun’s lips curl into a smile.

“You wouldn’t,” Donghyun whispers maliciously. "That’s the problem with this weak society. You never learn to kill. You simply don’t have it in you to kill.”

Jaehyun’s breath hitches, trying to force his arms to move. Donghyun’s face splits into a maniacal cackle as Jaehyun’s eyes shake. He can’t do it. He can’t kill the scumbag, no matter how much he hates him. He can’t kill the very person who took away everything Jaehyun ever loved. Maybe he really was weak. Maybe…

Maybe Donghyun was right about him being weak.

The wind whistles.

A cold, metal dagger flies past Jaehyun’s face, barely grazing his cheek.

Contact.

A broken cackle as the blade lodges into Donghyun’s chest.

Blood oozes out, covering Jaehyun’s hands as he exhales a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

His own blade is still raised, not a single splatter of blood on it.

Jaehyun whips his head around, daring to hope as the storm inside disperses, breaking into a rainbow.

Juyeon is leaning against Kevin, who’s struggling to hold him up. They’re both battered and bloody, one of Juyeon’s legs bent in the wrong way, but there’s no mistaking his outstretched hand and beautiful face, a grim look on his face.

“It’s a good thing I have it in me to kill, then,” Juyeon mutters, breaking the tense silence. Jaehyun jumps to his feet, running over to help Kevin hold him up as he practically collapses in relief.

“You’re alive!” Jaehyun cries. "But how?! He said he—”

Jaehyun chokes on the word, unable to make them out as he buries his face in Juyeon’s collar, tears streaming down his cheeks. Juyeon’s hand is weak as it rests on Jaehyun’s back, a gentle smile on his face. Memories come rushing to Jaehyun like raindrops in a thunderstorm, from the hushed whisperings they share under blankets in cold winter nights to the afternoons where he held Juyeon just like this, except Juyeon was the one sobbing, steadfast walls dropping down only in each other’s presence.

Their love is like a warm blanket as opposed to a hot and passionate summer day, comfortable and gentle as it wraps Jaehyun in infinite layers of protection. When it’s just them, it doesn't matter who they really were. They simply didn’t care if Juyeon was  _ the Lee Juyeon _ , heir to the famed Lee Family and former poster boy of the Aristocracy. They didn’t care if Jaehyun was the son of two Warlock Board members and two psychopaths, only out to take over the world. No, their love was simple and comfortable. There isn’t a need for background, because all they needed to know is that they have each other, and that’s enough.

Because for once in his life, Jaehyun was enough.

“Kev has his way with holograms, but you distracted him for long enough for Kev to basically bring me back from the dead,” Juyeon whispers, pressing a soft kiss onto Jaehyun’s ear. Jaehyun almost doesn’t register his words, too relieved to even care about what just happened. They stay like that for a moment, just enjoying each other's presence before a cough breaks them apart. Jaehyun turns his head to find a flustered Kevin, awkwardly standing on the side.

“Well to be fair, he only knocked you out. Made the impromptu surgery easier, if anything…” Kevin mumbles, sheepish as he shrinks. Jaehyun grins, pulling Kevin into their group hug with a grin. Sagging again, Jaehyun lets himself forget about the dead body mere meters away for a moment.

“Thank you. For everything,” Jaehyun whispers.

Younghon frowns, feeling something shift in his gut. He looks up at Sangyeon’s meditating figure, hovering over the Sanctuary like a floating statue. The sky is black and full of ash, something bitter in Younghoon’s senses. Something happened, Younghoon notes, but he can’t tell what. Younghoon turns to his pad, tracking his teammates’ vitals via the contract they made at the start of the year. As long as the contracts are active, they’re all fine. Green greets Younghoon, but he can’t help but feel his stomach twist anyway.

“What is going on out there…” Younghoon mutters to himself. He’s about to set his pad down and sigh, before something suddenly clatters in the distance. Younghoon jumps, snapping to attention as he spots a golden scroll in the middle of the arena. Younghoon frowns, confused as he looks up at Sangyeon. Sangyeon has one eye open and a secretive smile on his lips. He looks down at the fallen scroll and back to Younghoon again, before closing his eyes. Confusion takes over Younghoon.

Sighing, Younghoon stands up and makes his way to the scroll. Sangyeon can’t talk in his meditative form, but it seems he had something to say. Younghoon could never decipher his mysterious looks anyways.

“What do we have here,” Younghoon mutters, picking up the scroll as he unties the red ribbon holding it close. The scroll unfurls immediately, infinitely bright as light drowns the arena. Younghoon looks away, squeezing his eyes shut as his body feels weightless, suddenly floating. Younghoon opens his eyes, snapping back to the scroll as he finds it gone. The Sanctuary is gone too, replaced with empty darkness. Younghoon frowns.

“What the—” Younghoon begins, before a sudden spotlight illuminates the center of the pitch black void, mere meters away from him. Younghoon’s eyes widened as he met Sangyeon’s eyes, who’s floating in the air, sitting like one of those comical images of Sun Wukong from the old world. Younghoon gulps.

“Sangyeon?” Younghoon asks. Sangyeon only smiles.

“I suppose I should explain to you why everything’s happening now, shouldn’t I?” Sangyeon muses, waving his hand in the air as the black room lightens. Younghoon sucks in a breath as he watches a crown appear before him, silver and regal, encrusted with rubies and emeralds. Sangyeon snaps his fingers, and suddenly, a soft melody plays in the background. Younghoon whips his head to Sangyeon, swallowing hard.

“Once upon a time, there lived a fair and noble king.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact: the doc i wrote this on is named 'haha kill button go brr' so take that how u will


	23. Not All Rich People are Bad?

“Once upon a time, there lived a fair and noble king.”

Sangyeon waves his hands, slowly setting his feet down onto the cobblestone road of the Spirit Capital, nearly a thousand years ago. The atmosphere is jovial, an amicable blanket over the streamer-covered streets. A child spirit runs past, a bright smile on his face as he runs right through Sangyeon, leaving nothing but an odd feeling in his gut. Next to him, Younghoon doesn’t even notice the children, too busy gaping at the rows of townhouses of cobblestone and Whisperwood. A constant stream of people line the streets, chatter buzzing in the air.

“What’s happening?” Younghoon asks in a hushed whisper, scanning the streets. Sangyeon smiles.

“The king’s coronation is about to begin,” Sangyeon whispers back, grabbing Younghoon’s wrist and focusing his energy, teleporting them to a sprawling courtyard. There’s a large crowd around them, all holding up various banners and lanterns, about to be lit. In front of them is Spirit Castle in all of its glory, the soon-to-be Spirit King stepping out from behind the velvet curtains of the balcony. The moment sunlight hits the boy’s fringe, the entire crowd erupts into cheers.

The Spirit Council flanks the boy’s side, holding their various weapons and fanciful clothes. Sangyeon smiles as he makes out their features. There’s Luna, first and foremost, on the almost-king’s left flank. Her robes are pristine white and flowing like a camelia. She’s in charge of royal affairs, the spearhead for the king’s education and making sure the castle is always in top shape in every way. On the pecking order of the council seats, she holds the lowest.

Next to her, standing a few inches behind the king is Taemin in his prim and proper suit, resembling an elegant black swan. He oversaw the economy, giving him the third most important seat on the Council. There’s a fatherly smile on his face as the boyish king steps onto the coronation pedestal.

On the boy’s right flank is Wendy, head of culture and celebrations. With a bright and joyful personality, Wendy’s appearance never strayed from her multicoloured summer dress, resembling a dazzling bird of paradise and the true fun-loving nature of Spirits as she hands the boy his scepter. She held the fourth spot on the council, but everyone considered her the most loved in the Spirit World.

Handing the boy his crown as she announces the ancient prayers is Taeyeon, the patron of spirit magic and the most important figure of the Council. She resembles a diamond today, shimmering under the sunlight as she bestoys the jewel-encrusted crown onto the boy’s head. Sangyeon smiles as the boy steps onto the front of the balcony, finally showing his face to the crowd.

Next to Sangyeon, Younghoon sucks in a breath.

“That’s—” he chokes out, eyes wide. "That’s me!”

Sangyeon smiles, nodding as he hums a noise of agreement. The new king leads the crowd in a chant of the Spirit World’s ancient prophecy, the one that foretold of their future saviour come Doomsday.

“ _ Under blackened skies and ashened rivers, an unlikely hero will rise. _

_ To save the world, the hero wields a blade of midnight and fire. _

_ To tame the beast no chain or binding could hold for long enough, _

_ A lover’s blooming heart to break the seal’s frozen slough.” _

The spirits all start to release their lanterns, a symbol of their approval for the new King as the fifth and final member of the council appears on the balcony. Once again, Younghoon inhales sharply.

“Isn’t that you?” Younghoon asks as past-Sangyeon walks up to the king, Twilight Piercer in his hands as he kneels, presenting it to the king. In charge of the war efforts against the Shadows, past-Sangyeon’s clothes consist of hidden armour woven into a dark red suit. He used to hold the second most important seat, before recent developments.

“But then… what happened?” Younghoon asks. Sangyeon grimaces, waving his hand as the scene shifts.

“Peace didn’t last,” Sangyeon says simply, a soft grimace on his face. "Because the Shadows found a way into your world.”

A gruesome battle unfolds before them. Shadows outnumber the little bright spots of Spirit magic nearly ten to one, the darkness practically drowning out the glimmers of light here and there. Younghoon’s jaw drops, curling into himself as he watches a European Shadow Boar tear a spirit apart, sinking its tusks into the elephant shifter. Sangyeon grimaces. It always hurt a little to watch, no matter how numb to the pain he’s gotten.

“You know the rest of the story. A few humans were granted with magic circuits from the Spirits, developing magic of their own as Warlocks were created. Our forces combined, and we started to liberate sections of the human world while keeping the Shadows contained to the Shadow Realm,” Sangyeon relates, gesturing to one corner of the battlefield. A triangle of spirits and warlocks lock arms as their weapons are raised, charging through the Shadow’s ranks like a knife through warm butter. Younghoon seems engaged in the battle, hanging from Sangyeon’s every word.

“But no battle is won without casualties,” Sangyeon continues, a sad hint to his tone as he waves his hands again. The scene shifts again, revealing a burning river. A single raft floats on the dark water face, surrounded by red lanterns and fire. The Spirit King lies in the middle of it, peace on his face, no hint of a breath in his lungs. Only five saw him go, holding a solemn promise to their hearts.

“The famed sword was lost to the Shadow Barron, the King we all thought would be the hero dead. The Council were the only people to know of the event, and we all took an oath that day,” Sangyeon recounts, waving his hands as the scene shifts again. This one has him picking up a sword from the frozen grasp of the Shadow Barron, dead and still on the ground. There’s a grimace on Sangyeon’s face while his troops cheer, assuming the war is finally looking up for them. Younghoon frowns, confused.

“We pretended the King had simply grown busy, not able to meet his subjects face to face. For nearly a thousand years, we continued under that cloak, searching for a solution to our problems. Twilight Piercer grew cold from the lack of the Hero’s hold. I was tasked with finding the Hero and training him for his destiny, but that was seemingly impossible for hundreds of years. Of course, my quest got even harder when I found out the Shadow Barron had came back, this time to whisper in the ears of easily swayed humans,” Sangyeon explains, gesturing to the new scene in front of them. Sangyeon is in panda form, invisible from bystander’s eyes as he scans the streets below him. All of a sudden, a large net shoots from a nearby roof, entrapping him. Sangyeon had barely managed to dodge it, running away from the black nets. Warlock figures chase after him, an insignia on their cloaks with the word ‘Wings’ written under it. Younghoon inhales sharply.

“That’s why you didn’t show up until I was sixteen,” Younghoon guesses, realization dawning to him. Sangyeon nods, a sad smile on his face.

“I was captured and taken back to a secret stronghold. I had little strength, but I knew I had to get out. So with the last remaining magic I had, I sent a distress signal.”

The scene before them resembles a medieval prison cell, complete with black shackles on a sleeping panda. The air is quiet, almost sombre before soft scratching noises break the silence. A few stone bricks loosen, letting through a tiny owl, squeezing through with difficulty. Younghoon gasps.

“Minnie!” Younghoon exclaims. Sangyeon nods, a smile on his face.

“Changmin didn’t know of my mission, but he was always an excellent fighter in the army. He had simply followed orders without questions, and we slipped away from Wing’s hold,” Sangyeon explains, shifting the scene once more. Soft afternoon sunlight greets them as a small convenience store comes into view. A boy steps through the front door, waving to the elderly woman that ran the store before making a beeline for the fridges. He opens the door to grab a small carton of strawberry milk, before turning around and jumping out of his skin. Younghoon frowns.

“I was skittish,” he mutters, drawing a light chuckle from Sangyeon.

“That you were,” Sangyeon muses, amusement dancing in his tone. The scene fades away, leaving them with a blank, white room. Sangyeon points to the sword hanging by Younghoon’s waist, still in rapier form.

“It’s time for the prophecy to come true, Younghoon,” Sangyeon instructs, watching as Younghoon pulls out the sword, a grimace on his face.

“But I’m powerless,” Younghoon argues, eyebrows scrunched together. "I can’t fight this… Shadow Barron.”

Sangyeon shakes his head, a smile on his face. "Ah but Younghoon, you have the greatest power of all! You have what your predecessor never had, and what no amount of power or influence could ever attain!”

Younghoon cocks his head, confused.

“What do you mean?” Younghoon asks. Sangyeon snaps his finger, letting the white room melt away, a mysterious smile on his face as they return to the Sanctuary, his form returned to its meditative form. Younghoon is still confused, clutching the golden scroll in his hands. He blinks at Sangyeon, still confused. Sangyeon doesn’t respond, only smiling as he glances at the scroll. Seemingly getting the message, Younghoon opens the scroll again, withstanding the bright flash of light that came out of it.

Written in flowering cursive, the black ink forms a single phrase.

_ ‘Trust your team.’ _

Hyunjoon is going to  _ strangle _ the next idiot who dares to say anything stupid like ‘we’re safe’, even if it’s his adorable but  _ stupid  _ boyfriend.

“On your left!” Haknyeon shouts, absorbing a blast of warlock magic as Hyunjoon scowls, flicking his fingers up as he summons a spear and drives the poor warlock into a tree, the spear punched in his gut. The warlock will likely bleed out in mere minutes, unsaveable. Something curls in Hyunjoon’s gut, akin to satisfaction as Haknyeon grunts next to him.

“We’re still alone, right?” Hyunjoon asks, turning to Haknyeon. Haknyeon glances around before nodding. If anyone could see Hyunjoon’s, ah, method of disposal, he’d probably be kicked out from the team. But then again, these people were trying to destroy his  _ home _ . Hyunjoon can’t allow that.

“ _ Hey guys? _ ” Younghoon’s voice suddenly pricks in Hyunjoon’s earpiece, nearly making him jump out of his skin. Hyunjoon opens both palms and summons a volley of arrows to cull down about a dozen warlocks charging at him, a scowl on his face. Good riddance.

“What’s up, Hoon?” Haknyeon answers in his stead, pressing a finger to his ear. Hyunjoon straightens, swinging his broadsword onto his shoulder as he keeps watch.

“ _ I need you guys to find someone. Her name is Taeyeon, and she should be in the castle, I think? Just get me in contact with her, please? _ ” Younghoon asks. Hyunjoon glances up at Haknyeon, frowning. Why does Younghoon want to meet with the patron of magic?

Haknyeon shrugs it off, spurring Hyunjoon into trusting Younghoon. He may  _ sound _ insane, but Younghoon is probably their smartest head on the team anyway. He’ll just have to take his word for it.

“On it,” Hyunjoon responds, breaking into a run as he charges through the forest. Hopefully, the rest of the forest defenders can hold up. They pass by Jacob, who’s doing some freaky sound magic as he makes poor warlocks tap dance their way off a cliff. Hyunjoon feels satisfaction pool in his stomach. Warlocks were held to a code, sworn to never kill. Spirits, on the other hand, never agreed to such a thing. It was a loophole, sure, but a useful one nonetheless.

Jacob turns to them with a wide grin, gesturing to a nearby tree.

“My friend Suhyun’s got a spirit slingshot up there!” Jacob yells, gesturing to a treehouse. "She can launch you guys to the castle!”

Hyunjoon flashes him a grin, summoning a coach gun as he grabs Haknyeon’s wrist, blasting them into the trees. They land on a branch, slowing down their momentum by swinging on the trunk before coming face to face with a pair of spirits. Known all throughout the spirit world for their jovial music, it’s no wonder Jacob knows the AKMU siblings so well.

“Why’d you gotta go to the castle?” Suhyun asks, waving her hands as vines snap into place, curling around Hyunjoon and Haknyeon’s waist. Haknyeon shrugs for them both.

“Who knows. Our anchor’s got a theory or something,” Haknyeon relays, strapping himself in as the other AKMU sibling pops out from behind a curtain of leaves, tossing them two small spheres of leaves.

“Take this,” Chanhyuk exclaims, giving them a two-finger salute. "It should mask your magic from whatever those humans use to track you guys.”

Hyunjoon shoots him a grateful smile and pockets the sphere. They launch through the air, soaring over the Spirit World. Hyunjoon involuntarily shifts into a cat mid-flight, curling into himself. He hates flying as a human. He simply didn’t have the same stability as he did in cat form.

Haknyeon chuckles, ruffling Hyunjoon’s fur. “Cute,” he mutters. Hyunjoon hopes his black fur hides the red blush on his cheeks.

When they approach their landing, Haknyeon pulls out his rocket launcher and aims at a crowd of warlocks on the outskirts of the capital. He fires a shot at them and the recoil gives Hyunjoon and Haknyeon a little more height to perfectly dive through and shatter one of the castle windows. Hyunjoon winces, hoping Luna won’t find out.

“Okay, where’s Taeyeon going to be?” Hyunjoon mutters to himself, glancing around the castle hallway. Haknyeon shrugs.

“I’ve literally never been here, so I can’t help you,” Haknyeon points out. Hyunjoon grimaces. He himself had always preferred exploring the human world too, only coming back for the war efforts when he was called. To put it simply, Hyunjoon just didn’t mingle with the Capital folk.

“ _ I can help with that. The council room is in the highest tower in the castle. Me and Minnie practically grew up here, _ ” Chanhee’s voice crackles over their earpiece. Hyunjoon’s eyes light up.

“Great,” Hyunjoon smiles, stepping on the window ledge as he hands Haknyeon a coach gun.

“Take me to the moon, lover boy,” Hyunjoon jokes. Haknyeon rolls his eyes, leaning forwards to press a quick peck onto Hyunjoon’s nose as he channels all of the built-up magic from today, holding the gun up towards Hyunjoon. He blasts a wave of magic towards Hyunjoon, sending him flying upwards as Haknyeon jumps from the window after him, but falling to the ground instead to help with the fight. Hyunjoon bites his bottom lip, remembering the last times they split up. Haknyeon had literally gotten impaled a year ago, and before that…

Hyunjoon hopes he’ll see both of them make it through together.

He crashes yet another castle window, once again hoping Luna won’t kill for it, landing on a large, circular wooden table. The woman in the room flinches at his entrance, nearly cutting off her channelled magic into a strange, glowing orb. Hyunjoon flashes her an apologetic grin.

“Apologies for the window,” Hyunjoon calls out, pulling out his earpiece as he hands it to the woman. "I have someone who needs to talk to you.”

The woman cocks her head at him, frowning. "Are you one of Sangyeon’s kids?” she asks. Hyunjoon nods, although he’s not sure what that means in the grand scheme of things. The woman sags in relief, eagerly accepting the earpiece as she sets it in front of her, whispering a spell.

“Speak your business, Hero of Worlds,” the woman asks, voice ringing in the room. Hyunjoon sits up, crossing his legs as he leans forwards slightly, attentive.

“ _ Yeah, please don’t call me that. I’m just Younghoon, _ ” Younghoon replies over the line. Hyunjoon can practically imagine Younghoon’s annoyed nose scrunch. The woman rolls her eyes.

“Okay, Hero Younghoon, tell me what you need. I assume Sangyeon has filled you in on the prophecy and everything, correct?” the woman, who Hyunjoon guesses to be Taeyeon, asks. Over the line, Younghoon hums a noise of affirmation.

“ _ Yeah, and some other stuff. I need to find this Shadow Barron dude to break Wing’s morale or whatever. Could you help? _ ” Younghoon asks. Taeyeon smiles, relief on her face as she pulls out something from under the table. Hyunjoon frowns.

“Wait, isn’t the Shadow Barron dead? Has been for a thousand years?” Hyunjoon argues, confused. Taeyeon grimaces, shaking her head.

“As long as the Hero of Worlds and light exists, there must be an equally powerful Shadow in existence. We’ve done our best to keep him hidden and under wraps, but it’s time we banish the Barron for good,” Taeyeon explains. Hyunjoon nods along, but something gnaws at him.

“ _...but wouldn’t getting rid of him means getting rid of… well, me? _ ” Younghoon whispers, voice shaking. Taeyeon shakes her head.

“The spirit of the Hero will leave you, but you will be fine, Hero Younghoon. Someone else will take your last breath instead, as the spirit of the Shadow Barron has possessed someone else too,” Taeyeon assures him, although Hyunjoon can’t help but feel his stomach twist.

“The Shadow Barron… he has someone in Wings, doesn’t he?” Hyunjoon guesses. Taeyeon nods, a grim look on her face.

“Yes. Now you must hurry and slain his Shadow form here in the Spirit World. This scroll contains one third of the map to his location and I’ve entrusted the other one to Sangyeon. As for the third part, well I don’t know where it is, sorry,” Taeyeon grimaces. Hyunjoon’s eyes widen.

“What?” He exclaims in chorus with Younghoon, both in disbelief. Taeyeon sighs, nodding her head solemnly.

“It was stolen, and we’ve never managed to find it. The only thing I know is that it was entrusted to warlocks a long, long time ago. The board used to have it, but it’s long been lost. The scroll is powerful, but I can’t sense it at all,” Taeyeon explains sadly. Hyunjoon growls.

“ _ Surely there must be a hint? Earth is a big place, _ ” Younghoon presses, trying to extract a little more information. Taeyeon bites her bottom lip, seemingly remembering something.

“Perhaps the prophecy can help you,” Taeyeon notes. "Surely not all of its lines are clear yet, right?”

Hyunjoon hums in thought. “Well, the last two lines are clear. We gotta kill the Barron, who can’t be held by any of your chains for long. Some supposed lover’s gonna lose his heart for a frozen seal somewhere. The sky is black, which I guess is what the prophecy meant, while Younghoon has Twilight Piercer, made in the Fire Pit with Midnight Steel.”

Taeyeon nods along, confirming his words. Hyunjoon frowns, about to counter with another question when Younghoon’s gasp interrupts them.

“The ashened river! Hyunjoon, meet me in the forest and gather the others. There’s a river there, right?” Younghoon exclaims, suddenly scrambling on his end. Hyunjoon’s frown deepens, while something passes over Taeyeon’s eyes instead.

“I know what river you’re talking about,” she whispers, pointing a finger at Hyunjoon.

“I can take you all there now. Good luck, brave warriors. The fate of this world rests on your shoulders.”

Haknyeon’s had his fair share of teleportation, working alongside portal-maniac Lee Juyeon, but he’d be lying if he said he ever got used to the whole ‘space jumping’ thing. It’s simply the worst experience  _ ever _ .

The moment he pops out of the other side, Haknyeon slumps against a tree, coughing and feeling like he might hurl at any moment. Jacob pats his back comfortingly, a grimace on his face.

“You good?” Jacob asks. Haknyeon shrugs.

“Doubtedly, but we don’t have time,” Haknyeon mutters. In front of their pack, Younghoon runs to the riverbank. There’s not a hint of ash in the water, magic keeping the river pure at all times. It seems odd that they’d land here, but Haknyeon decides to trust Younghoon with this.

“Okay, what now?” Chanhee asks, breaking the silence. Younghoon turns to him with a grimace.

“Well, there should be a dead body around here somewhere. I think he’s at the bottom though,” Younghoon explains. Before Haknyeon can ask him what he means, Jacob steps up with a grin. He places his hand on the water face, a shrill sonic boom ringing through the air as the water parts for a moment. Haknyeon peeks over Jacob’s shoulder, scanning the river bottom before Changmin’s voice breaks his concentration.

“There!” Changmin cries. He runs down to it, grabbing the body out of the water and onto shore as the river water rushes back into place. Haknyeon nearly screams when he sees the body, glancing up at Younghoon in confusion.

“Isn’t that you?” Haknyeon cries, pointing at the body, then at Younghoon. And then at the body again. And then at Younghoon again.

Younghoon chuckles at his confusion. “It’s a long story, I‘ll tell you later,” Younghoon replies, hands digging into the dead body’s coat and apockets for something. Changmin and Chanhee hesitantly join him, practically stripping the poor dude. Haknyeon grimaces at the sight, but they eventually pull something out of his pocket. A key, with an all too familiar badge on its handle.

“Prestige,” Changmin hisses, venom in his tone. They nod, echoing his sentiment before straightening up.

Chanhee sighs, taking the key and stuffing it in his pants pocket. “We need to get to the school, now. Do you think Taeyeon can tele—”

“Let’s find a different way,” Jacob interrupts, throwing Haknyeon a concerned look. "I don’t want a puking teammate by my side.”

Haknyeon gives him a grateful smile, turning back to Younghoon.

“Well? You seem to know things we don’t, so lead the way?” Haknyeon suggests. Younghoon grimaces, face scrunched up in thought as his gaze drifts back to the river.

“Hey, where does this river lead to?” Younghoon asks. Haknyeon frowns, turning to the others. Chanhee mirrors his expression.

“Well, it starts from the Eternal Spring in the capital, but no one really knows where it leads to. From what I heard, it drops off into a portal somewhere, but no one’s made it back through the portal before,” Chanhee explains. Younghoon grimaces.

“Well, let’s find out, shall we?”

Haknyeon takes it back, there is something worse than teleporting.

“Faster!” Changmin urges, a wild grin on his face as he urges Hyunjoon to keep on blasting them down the river. They’re on a makeshift raft, barely hanging on for their life while Hyunjoon severely misuses his grenades.

“Not faster! Anything but faster!” Chanhee screams, agreeing with Haknyeon as he curls into himself, gripping the rope on the side of the raft for dear life. Haknyeon’s hand is starting to go numb from prolonged exposure into the water, transferring magic to Hyunjoon for his boat booster. Jacob seems to be on Changmin’s side too, launching sonic booms behind them to blow their raft downstream ridiculously fast. Younghoon seems to be composed the entire time, squinting at his two golden scrolls as he tries to fit them together. He seems to be trying to see  _ something _ , but Taeyeon was clear. They needed all three pieces.

“I can see the portal!” Jacob yells over the commotion, a wide grin on his face as he points downstream. Haknyeon sighs, silent gratitude in his throat as he pushes a little harder. Before long, they reach a waterfall of sorts, vast and never ending. A part of Haknyeon panics, but everyone else doesn’t seem to even flinch at it. He won’t be the exception.

“Get ready to jump!” Jacob instructs, pulling out his weapon to slow their fall. For a moment, Haknyeon worries about Younghoon, seeing as he’s less, ah, adept to this whole situation. Younghoon catches his gaze and smiles.

“I’ll be fine. I didn’t spend six years at Creker for nothing,” Younghoon assures him, unsheathing Twilight Piercer from his sheath. Haknyeon nods, a smile on his face as he straightens, balancing himself to get a good leap off.

Hyunjoon’s the first to jump, blasting himself downwards with his coach gun before pulling out a scythe and swinging down on a few hanging branches and rocks along the waterfall’s face. Haknyeon is hot on his tail, using his hammer to hug the wall as he pounds foot holds and resting sections into the cliff face. Changmin and Chanhee use them, following Haknyeon’s path while Younghoon and Jacob take a slower approach, jumping from rock ledge to rock ledge. The water at the bottom of the waterfall comes into view at long last, practically jumping up to consume Haknyeon as he falls through.

For one horrible moment, the air is knocked out of his lung, a vacuum in Haknyeon’s lungs as he struggles to breath. He wakes up on the other side, thoroughly drenched as he sits up, gasping for breath. Hyunjoon is next to him, still partially submerged and Haknyeon has to hurriedly pull him out and slap Hyunjoon awake. The others follow soon, popping out of the little pool of water as Haknyeon surveys their surroundings. They’re in a library, of sorts, except the books are more like floating scrolls and spirals of words over this magical pond/portal. Haknyeon’s eyes drift to the back of the library, where an annoyingly familiar crest rests on the wall.

“Why am I not surprised Prestige has something to do with this,” Changmin mutters behind him. Haknyeon nods, along, pushing himself up with a sigh.

“Because there are only two things constant in this world: death and rich assholes,” Haknyeon mutters. Hyunjoon cackles next to him, helping Younghoon up while the rest chuckle in amusement. It’s odd, how relaxed they are with the looming threat of the end of the world on them. Haknyeon supposes humour is just a better coping tool.

“Here’s our next problem,” Younghoon hums, sighing as he scans the room. "Where would the rich assholes hide a golden scroll?”

Before Haknyeon can respond, sudden heel clicks ring through the room, breaking their blissful moment. He whips his head to the source of the noise, finding an annoyingly familiar Snow Queen slides into view.

“The ‘rich asshole’ can hear you, thank you very much,” the girl snarls, glaring at them as her spirit looms over her shoulder. "And you six are about to be charged with trespassing unless you explain yourself  _ right now _ !”

They spend ten precious minutes having to explain to the grandest, richest and most assholest of assholes why they were standing in the middle of Prestige’s inner library.

“Look, we don’t want to be in here for any longer than we have to be,” Younghoon explains, a diplomatic smile on his face. "But unless you can show us where this stolen golden scroll is, the entire Spirit World is going to collapse. I’m sure we can find common ground here, right?”

Snow Queen hums in thought, gesturing at her spirit. They exchange hushed whispers, gaze still icy towards Changmin and his friends. Finally, when it seems they’d never come up with an answer, Snow Queen smiles a less icy smile.

“I understand. I don’t know exactly where your scroll would be, but I can take you to the scrolls section of the library?” Snow Queen offers. Changmin frowns, narrowing his eyes. He knows these assholes. Even got humiliated by them. Surely they wouldn’t be so… cooperative.

Sensing his hesitance, Snow Queen rolls her eyes. “Make no mistake, peasant, I am helping you out of the interest of protecting the Spirit World. I still deem you unworthy of my presence,” Snow Queen sneers and comfortable reassurance pools at the bottom of Changmin’s stomach. Now that’s more like the Prestige he knows. He ignores the way Snow Queen suddenly catches herself and changes her expression. Everything about this meeting has been weird.

They’re lead through a million corridors, passing through a museum’s worth of displays and artifacts. A small part of him begrudgingly feels gratitude, knowing it would have taken them forever to find a tiny scroll in this labyrinth.

Up at the front, Jacob strikes up casual conversation with Snow Queen’s spirit, ever the all around nice guy. It’s hard to believe he was the one that nearly tore their team apart just two days ago. Jacob and Jaehyun had made nice the morning before the mission, deciding a grudge isn’t worth never seeing each other again. They’re still practically family, after all.

“So you think whoever built the school hid the scroll here?” Snow Queen’s Spirit, who is very un-villainously just called Bob, asks. Jacob nods.

“Yeah. The scroll was entrusted to the board, but I guess whoever built Prestige probably realized how corrupt the Board was and just hid the scroll,” Jacob explains. Bob nods and hums in thought. Changmin scowls at the interaction. They’re rich, pompous assholes, Changmin reminds himself. The faster they get this over with, the better.

They arrive at the scrolls section of the library without much fanfare, and knowing what they were looking for, locating the scroll was simple. Changmin feels unnerved at it all, wondering why it was so easy. He expected a fight, maybe even some verbal abuse from Snow Queen herself. Instead, she just seems… quiet. Too quiet.

“You keep staring at me,” Snow Queen observes. Changmin scowls, apprehensive.

“Why are you so…” Changmin starts, unable to find the words. Snow Queen just smiles with her less-icy (no, Changmin refuses to acknowledge it as warm. Not after everything) smile, something akin to guilt in her eyes. Changmin didn’t know assholes could even  _ feel _ guilt, but life likes to prove him wrong.

“Passive?” Snow Queen supplies. Changmin nods begrudgingly. Snow Queen just shrugs, smile saddening ever so slightly. Changmin almost feels bad for her.

“Well, after what my… former teammate did to your warlock last year, I suppose I’m… trying to be a little more considerate? I… don’t expect your forgiveness,” Snow Queen tries, a hopeful glint to her eyes. Changmin frowns, eyebrows scrunched together.

“The psycho nearly killed him! And you people made Kevin and Juyeon’s life hell here! Of course I won’t forgive you!” Changmin exclaims, anger flaring up in his vision. Snow Queen, nods.

“I expected as much. Regardless, I hope I was of some assistance. Now, what is it commoners say in these situations?” Snow Queen wonders, scrunching her nose as she tries to remember something. Changmin tilts his head, confused.

“What are you doing, Snow Queen?” Changmin mutters, not realizing he had let the nickname slip. Snow Queen seems to wince at the nickname where she wouldn’t have a year ago. Changmin’s stomach twists uncomfortably, although he doesn’t know why.

“I’m Jinsoul. Please, you can use my real name,” Snow Queen Who Is Now Jinsoul mutters, almost sheepish. "And I, ah, hope you break a leg. In the luck sense. Not literally.”

A chuckle bubbles in Changmin’s throat with the unlikeliest of people as he extends his hand for a handshake, a pained smile on his lips. He supposes that if Snow Queen can change, maybe there is a future for rich, pompous assholes after all. Snow Queen accepts his offer of a truce, shaking on it. From across the room, Chanhee eyes him in confusion, but Changmin just waves him off.

“Oh, before I forget,” Changmin says suddenly, an idea striking him. "Could I ask you for a small favour? It’s about my other teammates…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND THE PLOT THICKENS


	24. The Journey Ends…

Sunwoo’s breath hitches in his throat as he rounds a corner, sliding behind a random statue just as a bullet flies by his chest, impaling past the stone man’s head. Sunwoo winces, sending the bust a mental apology as he continues running.

“Come on… where are you…” Sunwoo mutters, trying to steady his hand enough to look at Eric’s rapidly moving red dot on the map. They seem to have caught wind of what was happening, leaving towards the beach. The other teams can surely hold them off for a little while, but Sunwoo needs to get Eric out—and fast.

He ducks behind another statue as his tracker beeps violently, confirming that he was in the right location from what it could see, straight above Eric’s tracker. It stopped moving, staying still in one place as if Eric had paused for something. Sunwoo grits his teeth, praying for the best.

He blasts a hole in the floor, channelling all of the built-up force he’s absorbed so far as he funnels downwards. Bullets ring over his head, but Sunwoo only bends their impact to his advantage as he casts a barrier over his head. After seemingly forever, Sunwoo finally falls through the ground, landing on his feet in a dark, musty tunnel. Sunwoo frowns, whipping his head from side to side. He spots the tracker soon enough, except it’s attached to a creepy robot monkey repeatedly ramming its head into the wall. Sunwoo curses under his breath, looking around the tunnel in panic.

“Looking for this?” a voice growls, snapping Sunwoo to attention. There's a single light source in the room, shining down on two people. One is glaring at him, a gun in hand as it presses onto the unconscious temple of the other figure.

Sunwoo sucks in a breath.

Eric is knocked out, bound and gagged against the chair with a gun to the side of his head. Sunwoo’s breath hitches again, panic welling in his chest. He growls, trying to take a step forward when he hears the familiar click of the gun.

“Take another step,” the woman growls. "And he dies.”

Sunwoo freezes, gulping as he inspects the woman. There’s a bandage over her head, wrapping together her mess of a bedhead, blood soaking the cotton fabric. Her entire body seems to be wrapped in bandages, blood oozing from every corner of her body. Her hospital gown is torn, splatters of blood and burnt corners on it as Sunwoo’s gaze finally drifts to her eyes. Two brown orbs greet him, crazed and maniacal, but undoubtedly familiar as Sunwoo chokes.

“Y-you—” he chokes out, eyes wide. "I-I thought—”

The woman chuckles, although her voice is so hoarse it sounds more like a cough. “Thought you killed me? Thought your worthless little spirit could kill the greatest warlock in the world?” she barks, voice hollow and broken. The whispers of a madman, Sunwoo realizes.

“Although I suppose my husband holds that title now, with the state you and that spirit left me in. No matter, I have enough time to destroy you and everything you love,” the woman drawls, a wicked grin spreading on her face. Her arm is attached to an IV bag, barely any blood left dripping through. Sunwoo’s gut twists.

“How did you know?” Sunwoo asks, trying to stall for time. He can’t move, but maybe he’ll have time for Jaehyun to come to the rescue.

The woman barks a laugh. “My son is too soft to come back just like this. Donghyun was a fool to think he had changed. He even thinks you’re all here to rescue him, when that thing is proof enough for me,” the woman hisses. Sunwoo gulps, fear in his eyes as he watches Eric’s unconscious form. There’s no visible injury on him, not a hint of blood on his white ruffle shirt or platinum blond hair. Sunwoo’s heart cracks into a million pieces at the sight, but he has to keep calm. No good will come from rash decisions now.

“Why do you want to take over the Spirit World so badly?” Sunwoo asks, trying to divert the conversation. The woman regards him with a crazed yet curious look, cocking her head to the side as she considers the question.

“Why do I… because we’re stronger. Because we shouldn’t have to live in these spirits’ control! They’re nothing but murderers!” the woman growls. Sunwoo frowns.

“But aren’t you a murderer too? I mean, you’re trying to kill your own son,” Sunwoo points out. The woman just growls, conflict in her eyes.

“He’s a weakling!” she snarls. "And the weak have no room in this world!”

Sunwoo cocks his head, confused as he straightens up. “But spirits make us stronger,” he points out. "Wouldn’t wiping them be counterintuitive? You’re not making much sense here.”

The woman scowls, seemingly conflicted for a moment before something snaps on her face. She growls, pressing the gun barrel deeper into Eric’s hair and Sunwoo panics.

“No no no I meant you make perfect sense. Yes, wiping out spirits is very much your goal and it makes perfect sense,” Sunwoo scrambles, stumbling over his words as his hands fly around wildly. He glances at Eric, who seems to twitch in his sleep. Sunwoo gulps silently. There’s a chance now.

“Stop. Talking,” the woman hisses. Sunwoo nods, complacent as he slaps a hand over his mouth.

“You’ll never make it out of here alive, understood?” the woman hisses. "You’ll pay for what you did to me. And your little friends in the Spirit World will meet my master soon, and they’ll pay too. No one can stop the Shadow Barron.”

Sunwoo flinches, blinking rapidly. Wasn’t… the Shadow Barron dead? Has been for a thousand years?

The woman seems to sense his realization, a cruel smile on her lips as she turns to Eric, burying her nose into his hair. Something snaps inside of Sunwoo, seeing her mess up his hair is such a disgusting way. He takes a step forward involuntarily, and it doesn’t go unnoticed.

_ Bang! _

Sunwoo screams, watching Eric’s figure crumple onto the ground. The woman turns her gun towards Sunwoo and he doesn’t hesitate anymore, pulling out his shotgun as he fires before she can pull the trigger, the sheer blast of the shot sending her flying backwards as she hits the wall, crumpling to the ground.

Sunwoo doesn’t care, rushing over to Eric’s fallen body on the ground as he clutches his head. Tears stream down his cheeks as he parts Eric’s hair, trying to find the bullet wound. His heart shatters into a million pieces, before freezing in place.

Wait.

There… isn’t a bullet hole?

A groan. Sunwoo’s heart hammers.

“Man am I glad I emptied that gun before waking her up,” Eric groans, slowly blinking as Sunwoo’s shoulder sags in relief. Heat rushes up his face and Sunwoo grabs Eric by the collar, slapping him square on the cheek.

“Ow!” Eric yelps. Sunwoo ignores him.

“ _ That’s _ for scaring me like that!” Sunwoo yells before bunching up the front of Eric’s shirt and pulling him in again, smashing their lips together. Eric makes a strangled sound in the back of his throat, whining about lack of air but Sunwoo doesn’t care. He lets a sob past his lips, clutching Eric’s  _ very much alive _ body and he can’t feel anything but relief as Sunwoo sags forwards.

“I love you,” Sunwoo whispers, broken and choked. Eric’s hand rests on the small of his back, a soft kiss on Sunwoo’s forehead.

“I love you too,” Eric whispers back, warm and comforting.

“. _..I’m telling you that I can’t kill this stupid Shadow Barron unless you get rid of all the leaders over there too! This goddamn thing’s got a hold on them, so screw the code! _ ” Younghoon yells through Jaehyun’s earpiece, breath heavy as if he’s running through a battlefield. Jaehyun growls, exasperated as he jogs through the mansion and towards the beach, where the others are holding off waves and waves of Wings.

“ _ One _ simple day is all I ask for,” Jaehyun grumbles. "Is that too much? Apparently so!”

Younghoon laughs on the other end as his line cuts out, leaving Jaehyun with a daunting task and barely any backup. Kevin and Juyeon are battered and beaten up, unable to keep fighting. Jaehyun escorted them back to safety before running back to join the fighting. Sunwoo and Eric are nowhere to be found, both of their signals disappearing off his tracker and Jaehyun can only assume the worst. He charges down the hallway, rounding a corner before coming face to face with a towering figure, Wings’ insignia on their chest. Jaehyun growls, not wasting a single breath as he forces out his ice, practically stapling the poor guy against the wall as Jaehyun launches at him.

“Where are your leaders?!” Jaehyun demands, practically screaming in the poor guy’s face as he squeaks.

“P-please don’t k-kill me!” the guy whimpers, practically peeing his pants as he gestures vaguely down the hallway. "Just take your third left! W-we have a-an escape ship!”

Jaehyun narrows his eyes. "And how do I know if you’re telling the truth?!”

The guy gulps. “O-one of your guys r-ran that way too! Then he took a right instead of a left and t-then he met Mistress instead and—”

Jaehyun slaps his hand into the wall next to the guy. “Fewer words. Did the guy make barriers? Have a mop of dark red hair?” Jaehyun asks, fearing the worst. From what Eric confessed, mom should be  _ dead _ . Jaehyun really doesn’t have the energy to face yet another member of his cursed family.

The guy nods, and Jaehyun curses under his breath. He slams the butt of his blade against the guy’s head, knocking him out before breaking into a run, following the guy’s instructions. By the time he reaches the corridor, Jaehyun practically collapses in relief at the sight of two familiar faces.

“Jaehyun!” Eric yells, a bright smile on his face as he tackles Jaehyun in a hug, Jaehyun smiles, catching him in midair as he practically squeezes the life out of Eric.

“You’re fine!” Jaehyun exclaims. Eric grins, gesturing at Sunwoo.

“Thanks to this guy! Mom showed up and everything and he just like, blasted her into tomorrow! I don’t think we’ll have a problem with her anymore,” Eric explains, nothing but pure awe in his eyes. Sunwoo seems sheepish, on the other hand, almost regretful in a way. Jaehyun sighs, pulling Sunwoo into a hug, receiving a surprised squeak.

“Don’t feel bad. It was only a matter of time before she went,” Jaehyun mutters, trying to offer some bit of comfort. Then, clearing his throat, Jaehyun relates to them their new, ah, problem.

Eric wrinkles his nose. “I knew there was something afoot. Come on, I can take us to the ship. They haven’t left yet, waiting for mom and dad. We don’t have long though,” Eric explains, sprinting down the hallway the poor guy Jaehyun cornered earlier told about. He was telling the truth after all.

Eric seems to navigate the hallways with expert ease, despite only being here for a few hours. He throws open a secret door along one hallway, hidden behind a painting. They arrive at a hangar of sorts, thick metal walls blaring with red lights as a ship retreats from it, blasting a strong gust of wind at them. Large metal doors open at the back of the hangar, revealing the thundering sound of a waterfall as sunlight blasts in, illuminating the hangar. Jaehyun groans.

“They’re getting away!” Sunwoo yells, despair in his voice

“Not if we have anything to say about it,” Jaehyun growls, glancing at Eric, who nods before charging up, jumping onto the wall. Jaehyun slides his hand along the ground, creating a ramp of sorts as it leads all the way across the hangar. Sunwoo seems to have gotten the message, taking off after Eric as he cups his hands together. With a yell, Sunwoo blasts a large beam of energy behind him, using the recoil to take off and grab onto Eric’s arm, pushing them both towards the ship. Jaehyun runs across the hangar, gritting his teeth as he extends his ramp up as much as possible.

The ship seems to have noticed them, guns extending out of the ship as it fires at Sunwoo and Eric. Jaehyun grunts with effort as he fires back icicles at the ship, cutting off what he can. Most of the projectiles bounce harmlessly off the ship’s rear shields, much to Jaehyun’s expectations. He focuses his ice into one large spire and fires, poking a small and fleeting hole into the ship’s shield. Sunwoo and Eric slip through at that moment, making it onto the ship as Jaehyun allows himself a sigh of relief. The ship’s too far out of range for him to help now. Jaehyun can only wish Sunwoo and Eric good luck as he turns around to go help the others, a grimace on his face.

_ You better be fine _ , Jaehyun whispers in his mind, hoping the message somehow reaches his little brother.

He can’t lose the only good part of his family.

They make it into the ship without much trouble, Sunwoo practically blasting a hole into the ship. Somehow, it’s still managing to fly, but Eric knows he has to secure the leaders of Wings soon, before the ship crashes. He has no means of communication with his team now, but he supposes that’s more of a good thing. At least this way, no one can trace this blatant breach of the code back to him and Sunwoo.

Speaking of Sunwoo…

“They’re all mass murderers and psychopaths, Woo,” Eric whispers, trying to offer some comfort. Sunwoo bites his bottom lip, hesitant.

“Do I really get to make that call, though?” Sunwoo wonders aloud. Eric purses his lips, but doesn’t say anything. They continue through the ship in relative silence, only broken by blaring alarms and guards aboard. At one point, they arrive at the hallway right in front of the bridge of the ship, so close to their goal.

Eric moves to open the door, only to yelp as a barrier pushes him back, nearly burning his hand. Sunwoo rushes to his side, hushed ‘oh my god’s and ‘are you okay’s ringing in the air.

“I’m fine,” Eric dismisses, glaring at the door. "But I don’t think we can blast this down in time.”

Sunwoo grimaces, glancing around the hallway. Before they can come up with a solution, however, heel clicks break the silence. Eric flinches, turning to the hallway entrance.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” a feminine voice drawls, icy and wicked as she steps out from the shadows. She was the very image of an icicle, bright white hair held up in a ponytail as it cascades to her knee, a rapier on her side. Eric curses under his breath.

“Hi auntie Miyoung,” Eric mutters, eyes narrowing. Sunwoo sucks in a breath.

“You have some bad luck for your family, my dude,” Sunwoo whispers back, helping Eric to his feet as he faces Miyoung. Eric scowls.

“We were fools to think you were to be trusted, although I must admit you were somewhat convincing. And to think, you almost swayed to the family business…” Miyoung tsks, stepping towards Eric while unsheathing her rapier. Eric glances at her hand, watching out for the crackling blue lightning in her palms.

“You’re trying to kill my friends. How does any of that convince me to join this… family business,” Eric retorts, balling up his fists as he lets electricity hum through his veins. Miyoung shrugs.

“It runs in your blood,” she points out. "The need to  _ kill _ . It’s no surprise the Shadow Barron entrusted our family to bring him back.”

Eric scowls, hands hovering over his pistols. Miyoung eyes him for a moment, before a grin spreads on her face.

“Do you really think you can take me in a fight?” Miyoung laughs, holding her rapier up to Eric’s face. "Your brother may have defeated your stepfather, but Donghyun is old and senile. You’re no match for your  _ true _ heritage!”

Miyoung launches at Eric, slamming her lightning towards him as it bounces off the wall, not even damaging the ship. Eric rolls to the side, absorbing the residue electricity in the air before firing back a shot of his own. He glances at Sunwoo, who’s managed to sneak behind Miyoung for a moment. His barrier is drawn, hiding from the blasts. Miyoung doesn’t seem to have noticed him, but that won’t last long. Eric growls.

“We’ll see about that!” Eric yells, firing electricity pellets at Miyoung as he runs around her, making sure Sunwoo stays behind Miyoung. Miyoung’s eyes widen in rage, flinging lightning at Eric and extending another blast behind him, trapping Eric in a makeshift cage. Sunwoo is almost directly behind her now. Eric grits his teeth.

“You’re a fool!” Miyoung hisses. "For believing the lies your stepbrother fed you! This world has no room for the weak, and the Shadow Barron will cleanse you and this unfit world!”

Sunwoo raises his shield high over his head, ready to bring it down as a grin spreads on Eric’s face.

“It’s a shame you won’t be there to witness it then, auntie,” Eric mutters.

The last thing that flashes through Miyoung’s face is confusion, before she crumples to the ground, unconscious.

The lightning around Eric’s body dissipates, surging him forwards as he moves to grab Miyoung’s limp hand. Sunwoo helps him hoist her up, pressing Miyoung’s finger onto the lock pad. The door slides open, revealing the command bridge. Eric doesn’t even get a moment to look around, reflexes pulling him down as a blast of fire singes the end of his hair. Sunwoo’s barriers come up as they step into the room, rushing behind a nearby work desk as another blast of fire soars over their head.

“Hanyeol,” Eric mutters. "A cousin. He lit my entire cake on fire when I was ten. Heard he burnt down two towns back in the States.”

Sunwoo shoots him a sympathetic look. Something explodes near them, a spire of green energy soaring towards Sunwoo and Eric as it grinds against Sunwoo’s barrier. Eric points towards the source of the spire, releasing his electricity as it collides with a female body, peeking out her face for a moment. Eric winces.

“That’s Soobin. My other aunt. I have too many, really,” Eric sighs, ducking behind the workbench again. Sunwoo grimaces, sympathy and pity deep in his eyes. Eric doesn’t know what Sunwoo really expected for a ‘meet the family’ but it probably wasn’t this. But then again, Eric’s family is… complicated, to say the least.

“We need to get to the wheel,” Eric mutters, glancing around the room. "Sink this ship.”

Sunwoo bites his bottom lip, opening his mouth to say something, Eric stops him with a short peck on the lips and a small smile. He has a terrible past, sure, something akin to a pitch-black night sky with only a few bright spots, but it’s always the present that counts.

And right now, Eric’s present has the most beautiful star he’s ever had in his life.

“Save your pity for someone else,” Eric whispers. "I don’t care at this point.”

Sunwoo’s gaze softens, a small smile on his lips as he nods. He summons another barrier as they run behind another row of workbenches, narrowly dodging more crossfire. A stray bullet snags Sunwoo’s hand, drawing a sharp grunt of pain from him as he joins Eric on the floor. Eric grits his teeth, looking over at the rest of the ship.

“We can’t make it,” Eric curses, leaning over to inspect Sunwoo’s wounds. It’s minor, sure, but they’re too far from the control center at this point. Who knows how many more injuries will happen before then.

“Eric,” Sunwoo suddenly whispers, something sharp passing through his eyes. "You know I love you, don’t you?”

Eric blinks, confused as he tries to decipher the look that just passed through Sunwoo’s eyes. “I love you too,” Eric begins slowly, but what are you—”

Before Eric can finish, Sunwoo crashes their lips together in a chaste kiss as Eric feels a barrier enveloping his form, this one somehow more powerful than the ones Sunwoo uses normally. His touch on Eric’s wrist before the barrier finishes enveloping him is gentle, almost like Eric is a piece of china Sunwoo has to precariously protect. There’s a sad smile on his face as Sunwoo gathers energy in his hands, and it finally dawns to Eric what he’s going to do.

Eric yells, reaching out to try and stop Sunwoo, but it’s too little too late. The energy in Sunwoo’s hand expands to engulf the whole room in bright light and vibrating energy, blowing the entire room apart as Eric’s barrier saves him. The sky comes into view almost immediately, the wind whistling in Eric’s ear as he starts to fall. Eric blinks rapidly, trying to search his surroundings for a falling body. There’s dozens of people he despises, all passed out as they hurl towards the ocean, the explosion probably killing most.

And Sunwoo…

Eric chokes.

Memories fill his mind as the world fades away, nothing but empty silence in his ears as tears slip past his eyes. He thinks of the days and nights he has, wrapped up in the comfort of Sunwoo’s arms, warm and  _ loved _ . He thinks of the stupid pranks they’ve pulled, from replacing Chanhee’s shampoo with baby food to annoying the living hell out of Juyeon by hiding millions of alarm clocks around his room, set to go off at ridiculous times. He thinks of the cold November night just a year ago, when they exchanged their first kiss. With a cold wave, Eric lets realization hit him

It’s their first year anniversary.

And here he is, seeing Sunwoo’s limp body falling through the sky, devoid of any life. His body feels light, like a single piece of ash in the winds as Eric soars through the air, dark spots dancing in his vision. His night sky dims again, returning to its draining black face as Eric can’t hold back the tears that threaten to drown him. There’s no warm hand in his to pull him out anymore. There’s no comforting smile to ease the pain, and all Eric is left with is the ghost of a kiss on his lips and a broken promise.

_ I’m gonna make that smile of yours stay bright, no matter what! _

Eric refuses to let that promise break.

He repositions himself, falling towards Sunwoo’s body as he wraps his hands around Sunwoo’s chest and calls on all the electricity he has left in his body. He discharges it in blasts, shocking Sunwoo’s body once, twice, thrice.

There’s no response.

Eric is close to giving up now, but he knows he can’t. He’ll never be able to live it down if he just  _ gave up _ like this.

“Please,” Eric sobs, trying to send another shock through Sunwoo’s chest. A slight twitch, but not enough.

“Please!” Eric begs, burying his face into the crook of Sunwoo’s neck as he shocks him one last time. His hearing has started to clear, the sound of a helicopter ringing in his ears, but Eric pays it no mind. He shocks Sunwoo again, praying for a miracle.

It can’t end like this.

Hyunjoon winces, doubling over as he feels sharp pain exploding in his guts. He tries to reach out over the empathy link, trying to find what’s wrong, only to be met with complete and utter silence. In front of him, Haknyeon catches Hyunjoon, a worried look on his face.

“Joonie?” Haknyeon asks. "What’s wrong?”

Hyunjoon groans, feeling like his brain is trying to tear him apart. He reaches out again, meeting silence once again.

The forest leaves are cold and wet on Hyunjoon’s ankle as he slumps over, gasping for breath. There’s no familiar hum of life in his brain from another soul, just complete and utter silence. Hyunjoon presses his hand against his side, trying to feel the warm buzz from his contract mark.

There’s no warmth.

“Sunwoo—” Hyunjoon chokes. "He’s… he’s gone.”

From the front of the line, Jacob curses, running to Hyunjoon as he lifts up Hyunjoon’s shirt to find the mark. Nothing comes up, just as Hyunjoon expected, and a sob wracked his body. Hyunjoon clenches up his fist and pounds the forest floor, practically shaking.

“I’m such a terrible spirit,” Hyunjoon mutters, broken and heavy.

No one says anything, only watching as Hyunjoon sobs, clutching his head. A hand drops on his back, comforting as Haknyeon appears before his eyes.

“Breathe,” Haknyeon instructs, trying to calm Hyunjoon. Hyunjoon’s breath evens out by a minuscule amount, still heavy as he starts to shake.

“I’ve lost two warlocks.  _ Two!  _ I’m a failure,” Hyunjoon exclaims, pained and broken. Haknyeon rubs his cheeks, lifting Hyunjoon’s face up to meet his gaze. He opens his mouth to say something, but before he can utter a word, something shoots through Hyunjoon’s body again, hot and electric. On his side, Jacob gasps.

“The mark!” Jacob exclaims. "It’s— it’s redrawing! Hyunjoon, I… I think he’s coming back to life!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **_AND THE PLOT THICKENS_ **


	25. …When No One is Left to Travel

The only way to really describe the Shadow Barron’s lair is intimidating.

Hidden in the depths of the forest near Spirit Mountains, a towering cathedral of sorts stands high over their heads, carved into the side of the mountain face. Its stone pillars are dark and menacing, ancient carvings of battles and graphic displays of violence that twists Jacob’s gut into a tight knot.

“I don’t like this,” Jacob mutters, glancing at Younghoon. Their ‘Hero of Worlds’ is glued to the now-complete map in his hands, a grim expression on his face.

“This place gives me the heebie jeebies,” Chanhee mutters from behind Jacob, rubbing his arms. Changmin is next to him, staring at the carvings in the cathedral. Haknyeon and Hyunjoon trail behind, Hyunjoon’s hand drifting to his mark every few seconds, as if he was afraid it’d just disappear again. Jacob hopes Jinsoul managed to find the others in time to save Sunwoo.

They arrive at the center of the cathedral, stepping over vines and cracked stone. Dark energy hums along the veins of the cathedral, as if it’s trying to reach out and pull Jacob into the floor. Jacob feels a shiver run down his spine.

“We need to go down,” Younghoon announces, gesturing at the floor. Jacob sighs, turning to Haknyeon. Haknyeon nods, pulling out his hammer as he holds it high over his head. With a grunt, Haknyeon swings down with all his might, cracking the stone floor into a thousand pieces as the cathedral groans. The stone pieces fall through the ground, revealing a giant hole in the ground. Jacob steps towards it, ready to jump in when a familiar hiss rings in his ears.

“Guys… I think we have a problem,” Chanhee announces, voice shaking as shadows pour out from every corner of the cathedral. Jacob curses.

“Jump!” Jacob yells, launching himself in as he pulls out his blades, stabbing into the wall to descend somewhat slowly. Chanhee and Changmin follow suit, punching footholds into the walls for Younghoon to join. Jacob looks up and meets Haknyeon’s eyes, full of resolution as he cups his hands and yells.

“Go! We’ll hold them back!” Haknyeon yells, Hyunjoon’s giant broadsword swinging just over his head as it decapitates a shadow. Jacob grits his teeth, flashing him a quick thumbs up. He arrives at the bottom of the pit, helping Younghoon down gently as Changmin bolts ahead to scout.

“We’re clear for now, but this looks like a puzzle!” Changmin announces, gesturing for them to come. As they enter the next room, the room opens into a large circular courtyard. Jacob frowns, finding a silver glint in the middle of the rubble that filled every corner of the courtyard.

“Jacob?” Chanhee asks, watching with confusion as Jacob heaves the rubble apart, trying to dig out the silver glint. Jacob ignores him, pushing off one last boulder as the silver glint gains a red edge. With a sharp inhale, Jacob picks up the source of the light, a grimace on his face.

“It’s a crown,” Jacob announces, voice small as he runs his thumb over the rubies on the crown. "The Spirit King’s crown.”

Chanhee and Changmin’s eyes widen in shock, confused while Younghoon simply bites his bottom lip.

“B-but the king…” Changmin stutters, confused. "Why doesn’t he have his crown?”

Jacob shrugs, eyeing Younghoon carefully. There’s a soft wince on his face, but there’s virtually no shock on Younghoon’s face at all. Jacob frowns.

“You… know something, don’t you?” Jacob guesses, watching as Younghoon’s face falls.

“Yeah…” Younghoon mutters. He tells them of what Sangyeon told him, from the carefully fabricated lie to his true heritage. Jacob listens with a grimace, although he tries to remain calm. Chanhee seems like he’s three seconds from a heart attack, while Changmin’s mouth has been hanging open for who knows how long. By the time Younghoon finishes his story, the three spirits are left with nothing but despair.

“So he’s really back,” Chanhee mutters, biting his bottom lip. Changmin on the other hand, simply scowls.

“Yeah but what kind of advice is ‘trust your team’? Sangyeon is full of shit, I say,” he deadpans, drawing a laugh from the group as the heavy atmosphere disperses for just a moment.

“Come on,” Jacob urges, pushing himself up. "Let’s get a move on.”

There’s a giant pile of rubble blocking the entrance to their destination, shadow energy rippling through it once again. Chanhee pulls out, ready to blast the whole thing open. Jacob raises a hand in front of him, stopping Chanhee with a light shake of the head.

“Last time we blasted it open shadows came,” Jacob reasons. "Let’s look for another way.”

Chanhee nods, agreeing as they split up into pairs. Jacob ends up with Younghoon, who’s practically glaring holes into his map, trying to figure something out.

“There should be a secret tunnel around here somewhere. They buried the Shadow Barron, but they knew they couldn’t keep him down,” Younghoon mutters. Jacob nods, closing his eyes as he tries to listen for the wind. He can feel a light breeze on his cheek, a sure sign of some kind of shaft to his left. His eyes fly open, running towards some vines tucked away on the side of the room. Drawing his blades, Jacob cuts away the cascading vines and smiles as the door reveals itself. Five torches hang beside a bronze plaque on the wall. Upon closer inspection, Jacob can make out that each torch had a symbol under it. A plus sign, a theatre mask, a shield, a fist and a scale. A brazier lies on the door itself, the words ‘Midnight’s flame’ on it. Beside Jacob, Younghoon reads the plague out loud.

“‘The key inside lies within age-old allies’,” Younghoon announces, scrunching up his nose.

Jacob hums. “I think each of these represents a team role. Support, Spy, Tank and all that, you know? I think we have to light them in order.”

Younghoon frowns. “But what’s the order?”

Chanhee and Changmin jog over to the door, but they’re clueless too. Chanhee runs his hands along the bronze plaque, trying to peer closer at the words when a flame suddenly bursts out in front of him. Chanhee jumps, drawing everyone’s attention as Jacob watches the flame spell out a story. They gather in front of it, reading silently.

_ There once lived an old and noble king. He ruled with  _ **_kindness_ ** _ and lived to  _ **_protect_ ** _. Rarely would he  _ **_fight_ ** _ , and even when he did, it was to protect his citizen’s  _ **_freedom_ ** _. They considered him a  _ **_wise_ ** _ king, and forged him a beautiful  _ **_blade_ ** _ of midnight and steel to honor him. _

Jacob gasps. “The order!” Younghoon exclaims, taking the words out of Jacob’s mouth as he pulls out his sword. Twilight Piercer’s flames light up the dark and musty air, just large enough for Jacob to feel its warmth.

Younghoon sets the sword over the Support torch first, letting the torch catch fire as something clicks behind the walls. Encouraged, Younghoon continued on, lighting the Tank, Brawler, Ace and Spy torches next, before returning to the brazier. As his blade touches the golden disk, the flames suddenly go out. Younghoon frowns, confused as he tries to shake more fire out of the sword.

“I think you used up the last of its magic,” Chanhee guesses, face falling. Jacob winces, biting his bottom lip as he turns to the other torches. He walks over to the one closest to the brazier and blows on it, trying to urge the flames over. They nearly reach, the tip of the flames grazing the side of the brazier. Jacob makes a circle with his thumb and forefinger, holding it up to the flame as he hums, letting the sonic waves carry the flame over. The brazier ignites, and the entire cavern shudders. No shadows come out as the door slides open, drawing a loud whoop from their little group.

“Let’s go,” Younghoon urges, ducking into the tunnel. Jacob follows him, the four of them forced into a single file line as they squeeze through the tunnel. The air is heavy as the walls and ancient machinery continues to groan. Jacob grits his teeth.

“It’s gonna give out!” Jacob exclaims, urging them through faster. A pebble falls on his head as he finishes his order, confirming Jacob’s suspicion. They slide through quickly, barely squeezing into a dark cave as the tunnel behind them collapses.

Chanhee trips, falling into Younghoon as they both end up on the floor. Jacob winces, about to move over to help them up when Twilight Piercer falls to the ground, the tip of the blade coming in contact with some kind of liquid on the floor. Instantly, the room ignites, fire practically drowning the room as shadows swarm them by the hundreds. Jacob grunts, clapping his hands together as a sonic boom vibrates through the air, knocking out the closest group of shadows.

Unfortunately, it also seems to have woken up a giant lump of fur in the middle of the room, too.

A loud grumble rings through the air, settling an air of despair into Jacob as he watches the Shadow Barron stir, eyes full of red-hot rage.

“ _ Finally _ ,” the Barron belows, an evil and chilling cackle in his tone. " _ I awake.” _

Jacob gulps, turning to Younghoon. Younghoon, to his credit, doesn’t seem entirely terrified. He’s not even shaking, and Jacob chides himself. They don’t have time to be scared right now. Younghoon meets his gaze, mouth set into a line as he takes a step forwards, picking Twilight Piercer off of the ground.

“Shadow Barron! Prepare to be skewered!” Younghoon yells, voice surprisingly stable as a faint aura of magic flickers over his body. Jacob’s eyes widen as he spots a translucent figure behind Younghoon, almost identical to him. The spirit of the Hero of Worlds, Jacob realizes.

The Barron laughs. “ _ Do you really think you can defeat me, puny human? You’re a mere echo of your former form, whom I crushed easily! No one can defeat me! _ ” the Barron cackles, pushing himself up as a boar appears into view. It’s humongous, body full of blood-red and dark shadows. Younghoon doesn’t even waver, but Jacob wonders how much of this Younghoon is the Hero of Worlds and how much is actually him. Jacob draws his blades, flanked by Changmin and Chanhee as his gaze hardens.

“How about four, then!” Younghoon yells, and they jump into action.

Looking back, Jacob thinks that’s where it all went wrong.

Haknyeon grits his teeth, shifting into a large asian elephant as he crushes another pod of Shadows under his foot. Hyunjoon jumps on his back, hand raised as he rains a wave of arrows down upon the shadows. The next wave comes almost immediately, leaving Haknyeon no time to even exhale.

“They don’t stop coming!” Hyunjoon hisses, voice strained and exhausted. Haknyeon shifts back into human form, pressing his back against Hyunjoon’s as he exhales a shaky breath. Something settles into his gut, eliminating all sense of self preservation. He can’t give up. He can’t let them through.

“I better see you after this,” Hyunjoon hisses, swiping a blade over Haknyeon's head as he stabs a shadow over his head. Haknyeon grins back.

“Right back at you, pretty boy,” Haknyeon mutters, jumping over a salamander shadow as he clenches his fist, expelling all of the pent up shadow magic in a single blast, culling down a row of shadows. They fill the gap almost immediately, and Haknyeon is thrown back to the endless spiral of the fight.

In a small corner of his brain, Haknyeon wonders how the others are holding up, if this is just the first of the waves.

Eric heaves a heavy breath as he collapses on the helicopter floor, letting his senses drown in the loud and chopy motions of the helicopter’s motion. Sitting over him is Kevin and Snow Queen, who isn’t really completely bad anymore because she came to their rescue with her family helicopter and all, but Eric would totally be apprehensive if he wasn’t so burnt out.

Sunwoo is next to him, still no sign of consciousness but there’s a faint pulse to his chest, which rises and falls ever so slightly. Kevin was the one to find them all the way out here, thanks to the wonderful homing beacon that is Sunwoo’s giant explosion. Eric had barely been successful in shocking Sunwoo’s life back into him, but he practically decommissioned himself in the process. Kevin orders him to sit out, joining the journey back to an old friend’s place to tend to the wounded. They can’t go to the hospital as that would be a blatant red flag that they had disobeyed direct orders from the government.

For once, Eric is glad the Aristocracy doesn’t care about the government.

“Go to sleep, little one,” Kevin whispers to Eric, patting his shoulder as he makes Eric a pillow. Eric accepts the gift graciously, propping it behind his neck as he lets out a sigh.

“We can’t do anything now,” Eric mumbles, to which Kevin nods with a smile.

“Trust the others a little,” Kevin says gently. "They’ll finish the mission.”

Eric purses his lips, anxiety keeping him awake. “But how many will survive?”

Kevin doesn’t answer him.

Younghoon is 90% sure he would have been dead a long time ago, had it not been for the three spirits around him.

They feel almost unreal, fighting like monsters as they strike down waves after waves of shadows. They’re never ending, barely giving his friends a moment to breathe while they hold them off. In the effort of keeping the main battlefield clear, Younghoon is left to face the Shadow Barron alone. He doesn’t know how he’s holding up really, some invisible force pushing his body to its limits as he jumps from the Barron’s tusk to head to tail, striking with Twilight Piercer wherever he can.

The Barron’s hide is thick, unaffected but any attacks Chanhee or Jacob launch at him from time to time. The only thing that seemed to penetrate his fur is Twilight Piercer, but Younghoon can feel what little left of its flames slowly dimming. He grits his teeth, darting under the Boar’s legs as he tries to stab open a wound. The Barron staggers for a moment, but the wound closes up almost immediately as it opens.

“ _ I will crush you and that little spirit inside of you! _ ” the Barron bellows, hissing out fire from its nostrils as Younghoon jumps away from it, barely avoiding getting burned alive. Younghoon grits his teeth.

“Will you shut up?!” Younghoon yells back, charging back in with Twilight Piercer drawn. He jumps as high as his temporary boost allows, driving the sword through the Barron’s left eye as a loud roar vibrates through the room. Younghoon is thrown backwards into the wall. His normal human body would’ve snapped in half at the impact, but whatever is possessing him right now keeps him in one piece, even if pain shoots up his spine for a moment. Twilight Piercer remains lodged in the Barron’s eye, preventing him from healing.

Without another word, the Barron charges at Younghoon, breathing fire from his mouth. Younghoon jumps out of the way, rolling to safety as he curses under his breath. He doesn’t have a weapon anymore.

_ Dear whoever is possessing me right now _ , Younghoon pleads mentally,  _ give me a sword or something? I’ll even take a knife, please? _

No response. Younghoon ducks behind a stray piece of rubble.

“Okay then,” Younghoon grumbles. "What now?”

His answer came like a knight in shining armour, although it’s slightly more like a giant glowing panda with a very nauseous elephant and a murderous cat. Younghoon’s eyes light up in relief, a grin on his face as he watches Haknyeon and Hyunjoon join the others in fighting the shadows. The panda—who Younghoon guesses to be Sangyeon in some charged up form—roars a deafening roar as it charges at the Barron, giant paw reaching up and slapping the boar square on the face. Younghoon’s jaw drops open in awe as Sangyeon shifts into human form, pulling Twilight Piercer out from the Barron’s left eye and impaling it in his other eye. He turns to Younghoon with a hard gaze.

“Let the spirit take over, Younghoon!” Sangyeon yells, turning back to lock into the battle again. Younghoon blinks once, letting the message take over before he realizes what’s going on. He’s been possessed again, except the spirit hasn’t fully… taken over yet.

_ Uh. Well, um. Hi, spirit? Or spirit king? Um. You wanna take over or something?  _ Younghoon asks mentally, feeling a little ridiculously talking to some disembodied being in his head. The feeling doesn’t settle in fully before Younghoon’ body hums with power, lulling over him like a hot splash of water to the face. Younghoon’s skin feels like it’s burning as flames lick down the side of his arms. Younghoon’s vision turns red, almost mirroring the flame coursing through his body and Younghoon allows himself a small smile.

He jumps into action, drawing on his teammate’s techniques as he blasts fire at the boar. He thinks of Jaehyun and his almost graceful use of ice, mirroring the fluid motions in Jaehyun’s usual style. Whips of fire wrap around the boar like chains, signing its fur. Younghoon grins. He could almost feel the gentle whispers of his childhood friend in his ears, helping direct Younghoon’s body as he spins webs and webs of fire towards the boar.

The Barron bellows in pain, Younghoon takes the small victory.

He thinks of Sunwoo next, boosting himself across the room with his fire like a rocket to dodge the Barron’s charge. The Barron roars again, turning to Younghoon to attack again. Younghoon hardens his gaze, thinking of Sunwoo’s presence as he encases himself in fire. Sturdy and resilient like a rock, Sunwoo was the reliable little brother Younghoon never had. Sunwoo said something to him once, in the midst of training.  _ If I give in, who’ll protect the people I was supposed to protect? _

Younghoon brushes off the attack without much care.

The Barron belows again, shadow energy shooting out in every direction. Younghoon calls on a different part of his team, extending his flames out to mirror the Barron’s energy as he engulfs the shadow energy. He thinks of Eric and his never ending energy, always ready to give whatever he’s doing his entire being. His electricity is relentless, mere presence a motivation to keep fighting. Keep moving. Keep surviving.

The shadow energy disperses.

Taking its place is a horde of shadows, infinite as they try to climb over each other to reach Younghoon. Jacob appears in the corner of Younghoon’s vision, blasting them back with a powerful sonic boom as he turns to Younghoon with a hard gaze. Younghoon’s gut settles in relief at the sight of an alive and well teammate. Jacob is dependable in every way, the silent pillar that holds their group up. Ever the cool head in a tough situation, Younghoon calls on his energy to retain control over his possessed form.

Younghoon turns back to the Barron, rage in his eyes.

Channeling every last ounce of his energy, Younghoon roars, forcing out his flame into a single beam towards the boar. He thinks of Haknyeon and Hyunjoon, like two pieces of a well-oiled war machine. They charge forwards without hesitation, steadfast and string in their beliefs. Part of it is experience, part of it is sheer stubbornness. Younghoon refuses to go down.

In the back of his mind, Younghoon can feel Kevin’s gentle warnings of making sure he doesn’t push too hard at once. Younghoon’s body feels like it’s being flayed alive, but Kevin’s whisper in his mind is like a gentle ice pack over an open wound. Younghoon wonders how they could’ve possibly made it this far without Kevin, the stable and impartial linchpin to their precarious tipping scale of a dynamic. Younghoon pushes on, knowing he can’t let Kevin down like this.

Heat licks Younghoon’s cheek as he calms down from the blast, watching with a heavy breath as the boar staggers backwards, hide burned entirely, unable to heal back. Younghoon clenches his fist, calling his flames again as he summons an array of fiery daggers and launches them at the Barron relentlessly. He thinks of Juyeon and his cheerful yet realistic outlook on life, always the one to urge them to keep moving even when the situation looks bleak. The reasonable side of Younghoon knows he can’t pierce through the boar’s hide just like this. Juyeon’s voice in his head says otherwise, urging him on.

In a final spurt of energy, Younghoon holds his hands out in front of his face, letting the flames gather into one spot. A giant broadsword flickers into his hands, bright and intense as Younghoon swings it backwards and jumps. Below him, Chanhee reaches out his hand and sends a new burst of energy into Younghoon’s body. He tastes strawberry milk on his tongue, the taste of comfort and encouragement as Younghoon’s heart soars. Chanhee is the gentle lull of the fireplace on Younghoon’s cold bones on a freezing winter day, allowing Younghoon to just revel in the blissful feeling. He’s the warm scent of hot chocolate, the soothing melody of family and Younghoon feels his flames to grow brighter. Hotter. Stronger.

A shadow launches at Younghoon, mere moments from cutting Younghoon in half. Changmin pops into the corner of his eyes, stabbing the shadow as it explodes into a bright burst of light, teeth gritted and firm look in his eyes. Changmin is the cool breeze on Younghoon’s back on a hot summer day, offering comfort in a different, yet inexplicably important way from Chanhee. Younghoon loves them both with every fibre of his being, and he can’t imagine having a world where this Barron takes either away from him.

With a battle cry, Younghoon swings the sword down, forcing out every last ounce of fire in his body. Sangyeon pulls out Twilight Piercer from the Shadow’s eye as he throws it Younghoon. His flames have burnt a large hole into the boar’s hide, gaping and ugly as Younghoon holds Twilight Piercer high over his head. He charges back in, stabbing the sword into the boar’s underbelly, screaming bloody murder as flames engulf everything he can see.

It’s hot, he thinks, but the feeling is nothing compared to the monstrous roar from the Shadow Barron as Younghoon drives the sword in deeper. Blood roars in his ears, urging Younghoon on as he lets himself melt into the attack, allowing the flames free control of his body. He’s got one chance, and he’ll be damned if he wastes it.

The Shadow Barron finally slumps over with one last monstrous roar, banished from the Spirit World as Younghoon’s knees buckle. He topples over, his accomplishment yet to settle in as he breathes, The fire in his body is faint now, barely a spark left as dark spots fill Younghoon’s vision. There’s a bright glow in front of him, the tell tale sign of a shadow’s death. Younghoon knows he has to move, or the explosion would kill him on impact, but he has nothing left in his bones anymore. Not a single muscle would move, too strained as Younghoon roots in place. He squeezes his eyes shut, muttering a silent apology to Changmin and Chanhee as he embraces death with open arms.

Except, it never comes.

A body crashes into his, throwing Younghoon across the room and behind a small pile of rubble as Younghoon’s eyes fly open. He stares in shock, fighting exhaustion as he forces his eyes to stay open. A scream lodges in Younghoon’s throat as he meets eyes with a gentle gaze, full of determination as light envelops his body. Younghoon slams against the wall, losing every last shred of consciousness as he chokes out a sob, eyes fluttering close.

The last thing Younghoon sees is Jacob’s flickering form, engulfed in the light as he disappears from the world, looking every bit the beautiful angel that he is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUN!!!!!
> 
> Wow. It's already the second last chapter of the fic :OOOO
> 
> I hope you've enjoyed the ride! Only the epilogue left!!!

**Author's Note:**

> Weekly Updates every Tuesdays!
> 
> Find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/heonynchans);)


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